Call of Duty 2: Back In Action
by gothraven89
Summary: AU. Our favorite CIA Operative is back at what he does best, saving the world, stopping the bad guys, and still finding time to grade papers. But all is not well because for Charlie Eppes, Heaven never lasts. Sequel to Call of Duty.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Call of Duty 2: Back In Action

Chapter 1: A Regular Morning for a Secret Agent Man

_Life for someone like me is a constant battle to keep the two halves from ever colliding with each other. They almost did on several different occassions, each time I managed to weave a few lies and half truths here and there to mask the real story. I know that my brother Don's suspicions have already been aroused, I will have to be more careful from now on. The sad thing is, trouble seems to follow me everywhere. I would love nothing more than to be able to stop putting up the facade that I've had since I was nineteen. I know that that's out of the question. It is so hard to live a life like mine, but I've learned to deal and find solace in knowing that even though I've ended countless lives with a swing of my sword or a bullet from my gun, I've kept countless more lives safe from the greater evils of this world. I will protect all that I love with every fiber of my being. I only hope that's enough. _

_Inner monologue of Charlie Eppes Codename: " Ghost" _

The sun peaked over the horizon, bringing with it a new day over Pasedena. Alan Eppes awoke from a restful night's sleep. The Eldest Epped stretched before he got up and left the room to get to the bathroom. He was about to walk into his intended destination when the room at the very end of the hall caught his eye.

_" I know I'm being a father hen."_ Thought Alan as he turned and headed for said room. He gently eased the wooden door open and spied the occupant inside.

Alan felt a small surge of relief and warmth spread across his chest when his gaze fell of his still sleeping son. Charlie, looked serene as he sleep, the soft light of the new morning dancing across a youthful face, making him appear even more young. With a small sigh, Alan eased the door shut and left his son to his slumber, it was Saturday.

When the door shut with a click, a pair of deep brown eyes slowly opened. A sigh escaped Charlie, he'd been feigning sleep when his father had once again checked to see that he was still there. Charlie felt a small pang of guilt, his father was still on edge, a full yearsince he'd come back from Zermatt. Charlie glanced at his bedside alarm clock, it was seven o'clock. Today, he was secretly going to a shooting range a buddy of his ran, he planned on keeping up his already razor sharp accuracy with a gun.

Charlie settled back into his pillow, another hour of sleep wouldn't hurt.

When Charlie woke up, it was quarter past eight. With a leasurely stretch, Charlie dissentangled himself from the sheets and headed for the bathroom to take care ofthe usual morning necessities. Twenty minutes later he was dressed and ready for the day and some of his father's excellent cooking.

" Morning Pop." Said Charlie with a grin as he bound into the dinning room.

" Morning son." Said Alan with a happy smile of his own, glad to see his son in a good mood this morning. The eldest Eppes set down the two plates of food he'd prepared.

Father and son set about eating and talking, enjoying the sunny morning.

" So Charlie, what are your plans for the day?" Asked Alan as he munched on some toast.

" Oh nothing much, plan on catching up with a buddy of mine later." Said Charlie as he finished his coffee and got up and headed into the solarium to finish grading papers.

An hour later he was headed out the door, with Alan trying desperately to mask his anxiety. Charlie felt another pang of guilt as he put on his jacket over the simple red and brown T-shirt and well-worn blue jeans he had on. He grabbed his car keys and with a reassuring smile to his father walked out of the house.

He pulled out of the driveway and speed off, eager to do his secret thing.

The roads were relatively uncrowded, Charlie pulled out of the highway and headed into the sunny hills, where Ralphy's shooting range was located at the base of a valley.

Charlie turned a corner and saw said building at the end of the road. He was hoping no one from the FBI was here, local Law enforcement were the real regulars at this range.

Charlie eased his car into a parking spot and killed the engine. He got out and headed up the stairs to the place where the real action was. When he reached the top, a man in his late thirties was waiting for him, Ralphy Johanssen, tall and well built with his longdred locks pulled back into a pinytail. When there gazes met, a wide happy grin spread across the african american's face.

" Charlie Eppes, where the hell have you been all my life?" Said Ralphy as he bound forward and enveloped Charlie into a big bear hug, which Charlie returned feebly as his feet dangled off the floor.

" What can I say man, I'vebeen busy. Now please put me down." Chuckled Charlie. Ralphy let go and Charlie found his feet firmly on the ground once more.

" You got my favorite noise makers?" Asked Charlie with a slightly predatory grin.

" Follow me." Said Ralphy with a knowing smile. The two men walked side by side past several people already shooting at their paper targets.

They came to stop at the very last booth, there waiting for charlie were two very powerful looking handguns.

" Fire away Math Geek." Smirked Ralphy.

" Shut up Ziggy Marley." Said Charlie with a grin as he watched Ralphy leave. He thenreached for the protective headphones and placed them over his ears. He clipped a paper target to the clip and then pressed the button, watching the paper glid backwards, seeming to diminish in size until it was a miniscule version of itself.

With a small sigh, Charlie picked up one of the guns, holding it in his calloused and well experienced hands. The feeling of holding a gun in his hand was something Charlie had gotten used to well before the sniper case and Edgerton. A smile formed on his face when he'd actually met Edgerton one final time before he'd left for Quantico. He still remembered the look of awed respect from the seasoned sniper's face when Charlie had actually beaten him at taking out three moving targets in under twenty seconds. Charlie had gained another friend that day.

With a steadying breath, Charlie extended his arms, his left hand supporting his right, he took aim and fired.

BANG... BANG... BANG...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS so don't sue me.

Chapter 2: A Slow Day Never Really Is One

Don Eppes heaved a sigh as he finished writting up yet another report for the case they'd just finished, the downside of being and FBI Agent, the loads and loads of paperwork. This report happened to be his last one, for now. He needed a java fix pronto. He grabbed his mug and headed for the break looked up from the fresh mug he'd poured himself when Don came into the room.

" Hey Don." Said Colby with a smile.

" Hey." Said Don with a grin of his own as poured himself a mug. It was an unusually slow day at the offices.

" Do you think the bad guys overslept today?" Asked Don teasingly.

" Maybe, it is Saturday." Anwered Colby with a smirk.

The two agents knew full well that crime never takes a day off, they could bet on having a new case by lunch.

Meanwhile, at the shooting range...

Charlie looked with grim satisfaction as he held the paper target in his hands, marred by bullet holes that if they marred a real human body, that person would be dead with each shot both individually or all together.

" Good shootin man." Said Ralphy suddenly from where he'd been standing behind Charlie, hoping to startle him.

" Thanks." Said Charlie, not at all taken by surprise. Charlie crumpled up the paper in his hand a threw it like a free throw into the trash can. It was noon now, he should be heading back. He had a workoutwith Colby on Wednesday this week.The guys at the gym had gotten their rematch, only to get their butts kicked once more. His reputation as an unstoppable Kendo Master had yet to be revealed to Don and the others. True to his word, Colby kept his silence and their friendship grew stronger with each case they worked on and each workout they shared.

Charlie smiled to himself, if only Colby knew that he actually owed Charlie his life. Another little secret Charlie had, he and his unit had been dispatched to Khandahar on a lead for one of Bin Laden's top men. There had been a firefight between American troops and Insurgents. Colby had been on the front line when a bomb went off nearby. The soldier had been knocked unconscious by the massive blast. Thankfully, Ghost had pulled him out of there and left him where his fellow soldiers found him when the chaos was over. When Colby had joined the FBI, Charlie had been nervous, even though Colby had been out like a light of the sands. Thankfully for him,to Colby it had been the first day he'd ever met Charlie Eppes. Even knew what Pie was.

Charlie shook himself out of memory lane and bid Ralphy a fond farwell before headed to his car. Within minutes, he was headed home, he had work to do.

Don had been proven wrong in his prognostication, a new case had landed in his lap five minutes after he'd gone back to his desk with a fresh mug of coffee.

" Don, someone just kidnapped a Federal Judge's two kids, they were taken from their school." Said David urgently.

Don immediately sprung into action, grabbing his suit jacket and keys, he was headed for the elevators, his team behind him.

Indeed, crime never overslept on the weekend...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 3: Innocence Held for Ransom

Don Eppes heaved a sigh as he pulled up to the house already swarming with law enforcement personel. Don never liked cases that involved children, especially if they were just pawns in some sick game for only monetary gain. Don killed the engine and got out, Megan close behind. Colby and David had gone to the school, they'd meet up back at the office with whatever they found. Don and Megan flashed their badges and ducked under the tape.

Don and Megan walked up to the distraught parents,Daniel and Elaine Rudyard.

" Mr. and Mrs. Rudyard, I'm Don Eppes and this is Megan Reeves, we're with the FBI." Said Don gently as he saw the utter devestation on Elaine Rudyard's face.

" They took our babies." Said a very shell shocked Daneil Rudyard, veru close to tears himself. Behind him, Don could see of photo of bothkids, Twin girls withcurly brunette locks. They were Mandy and Sara Rudyard, the missing children.

" Mr. andMrs. Rudyard, we're so sorry for what's happened. Can you please tell us of what happened prior to your children's kidnapping." Asked Megan softly. It was the wife who spoke.

" I'd just gotten back fromwork at the floral shop, I saw the letter." Said Elaine as she pointed to one of the CSU techs who held a plastic evidence bag with said letter.

Don motioned the guy over and was handed the letter. When he opened it, at first he felt confusion and then a flurry of hope. The letter was a seemingly sensless jumble of numbers. Thankfully, he knew a certain math whiz who was also a damn fineCode-breaker. Don handed the letter to Megan who then gave him a knowing look before they both turned to the distraught parents.

"Jude Rudyard, Mrs. Rudyard, we're going to do all in hour power to get your girls home as soon as possible. We happened to know someone who could decipher this message. Said Megan with a reassuring smile as she and Don headed back to their cars. Don had someone to see.

Back at Casa Eppes, Charlie had parked himself on one of the comfy couches in the livingroom, typing away on his laptop the T.V. murmering in the background, Alan had stepped out for lunch with some friends after he'd seen that Charlie was home. The sound of a car pulling up caught Charlie's attention, he knew it was Don and relaxed, and waited for his brother's entrance. A few seconds later, Don came barging in. Charlie looked up form his laptop to spy the look of urgency on his older brother's face.

" Hey Don, What's up?" Asked Charlie as he shut off his laptop. Don hurried over to his brother and held outwhat was assumed to be the ransom note.

" Charlie, I just got this knew case, two kids, twin girls, they've been kidnapped, the kidnappers left this for the parents." Said Don.

Charlie took the offered piece of paper and looked at it, immediately recognizingsome of it.

" Don,I'll try my best to break this for you." Said Charlie, determination burning in his eyes as he looked back at his brother. Don gave him a small smile before he turned to leave.

" What're their names?" Came Charlie voice from behind him.

" Mandy and Sara Rudyard, both twelve." Answered Don as he turned back to Charlie.

" I'm counting on you Charlie." He said, Charlie nodding his head. The FBI Agent then turned and left his brother to his work.

_" Shit_" Thought Charlie as he looked overthe paper he had in hands, he already knew who was behind this.

With a sigh, Charlie then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell-phone, pressing a number on speed dial. Charlie put the phone to his ear and waited.

_Ring... Ring... Ring..._

_" Steele."_ Came an answer.

" Steele, it's me, Ghost, I got a situation up here in Pasadena...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 4: Permission to Terminate

" You are positive it's him," Said Steele sternly.

" Yes. It's Jennings. The SOB is still alive, and he's kidnapped two little girls, the daughter's of a federal judge. Do we have permission to terminate?" Asked Charlie, his voice calm and cold.

" Nighthawk and Mojave will be in Los Angeles in five hours, you have my word." Said Steele.

"Thank you sir, How do you want to handle the fallout?"Asked Charlie.

" Ghost...just keep yourself alive, and give Jennings a one way ticket to hell, leave the rest to me. If it comes down to it, the FBI will be allowed to know of the existance of the Unit but not the identities of its members" Said Steele.

" Understood sir," Growled Charlie as he flipped off his phone.

The man Charlie had just sworn to take out, was Blake Jennings, a former officer of the British secret service, and once, an allie to the " Big Three". Charlie had nothing to fear with his identity, Blake Jenning only knew him as the masked CIA Operative " Ghost". That however, did nothing to ease the tension that had tightly wired Charlie's body. Blake Jennings had in essence, sold his soul to the devil. When Intel had reported that Blake Jennings had turned on his own unit and killed all four members. Needless to say their had been shock and alarm. The " Big Three" had been dispatched to take him out and they thought they'd succeeded, thinking Jennings had been caught in the blast when they bombed his hideout. Now, a small piece of paper with numbers all over it had blown that feeling of security out the window.

Charlie allowed panic to fill him, if momentarily before his sprung into action. This had turned into a tricky situation. The Existance of the " Big Three" unit had been kept very secret from all other agencies, save for the NSA. Like Steele had just said, the knowledge of the Unit was allowed, Ghost would have to make sure his mask was all but glued onto his face if he and his two fellow operatives crossed paths with his Brother and the FBI. Speaking of " If" , maybe a little misdirection was in order. Charlieheaded to the garage like a man on a mission.

Meanwhile in an Arizona Airport, Julio Vargas paced the pavement of the runway, he was waiting for that white angel know as the Private jet that would take himonce again to Passadena California. Steele hadinformed him of the situation concerning Jennings. The madman was still alive and he know held two innocent lives hostage. Only a cowards would use a child, let alone two. Julio was shaken from his musings when a roar filled the air. A predatory grin graced the Latino's face when he caught sight of the White private plane semingly barreling towards him.

The Aircraft touchdowned and screeched to a halt a few feet away. The door burst open and the smiling face of Christian Wolfe poked out. Julio adjusted the strap of his duffle bag and then bound up the stairs and into the plane.

" Guess trouble always follows the boss." Sighed Christian.

" Indeed it does." Smiled Julio as they prepared for takeoff.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 5: Secret Meetings and Making Houdini Proud

Don Eppes heaved a sigh as he sat at his desk, flipping through yet another file on possible suspects or red flags in the lives of the Rudyard family. So far nothing popped up, sure there was the occasional missed payment and speeding ticket. Don looked around at his team, Colby sat absently twirling a pencil. Megan sipped luke-warm coffee, and David flipped through a file.

_" We're getting nowhere."_ Thought Don with a sigh. He turned his gaze

Then the elevator doors opened and Charlie burst through them, looking both haunted and urgent. He ran up to the FBI agents, waving the ransom letter tucked savely into a clear plastic bag.

" This Bastard... is sick..." Panted Charlie.

"You were able to decode it?" Asked Megan Anxiously. Charlie nodded vigorously.

He fished into his pocket and pulled out the paper he'd scribbled what the note " Said", he handed it over to Don.

Don read the letter and felt both rage and disgust fill him as he read its content.

_Dear Rudyard family, as you know, I have possession of your two very beautiful twin girls Mandy and Sara. Would you like to know the reason why I took these two precious ones? _

_Well, I'm not going to tell you why. However, I will tell you what I want, four million dollars in unmarked bills, in a bag. The location is the West Valley Mall parking lot at midnight. One of you, be there if you want your girls. _

_Be late, I'll have my guys play with you two girls for a little while before I put a bullet into each of their pretty little heads. _

_P.S. If the CIA couldn't take me out, what can the FBI do?_

Don was stunned by this last sentance. Just who were they dealing with. Don stiffly passed the paper on to the rest of his team while he stared at Charlie, who had an expression of worry etched into his face. Charlie turned his gaze to meet Don's.

"We'll get this guy." Said Don, determination filling him. Charlie nodded silently to all of them before he turned towards the elevators.

_" No, you won't Don, I'm gonna get this guy." _Thought Charlie grimly as he stepped into the elevator. It would be another three hours before his team would get here. Charlie drove home, all the while going though different scenarios. He pulled into his driveway and went straight to the garage.

He'd misled his brother once again. In truth, the money drop off wasn't supposed to take place until next midnight, not this midnight. Charlie had just cooked up a bogus date and time, everything else was legit. Jennings, his ransom demand, and his threat against the girls.

Charlie felt a fresh wave of both anger and annoyance. The second he saw Jennings again tonight, he'd punish the insane bastard to the fullest extent, maybe even leave him begging for the mercy of death.

For know, all Charlie could do was wait, and meditate.

The three hours passed with Charlie searching the deepest carverns of his mind to find the right answer for this problem. Each scenario was perfection in itself but, Charlie knew that often, things don't go according to plan, three bullets to the chest caught by kevlar proved that. Charlie was on his latest scenario when his cell phone rang. Charlie flipped in open and brought it to his ear.

" Ghost." Came the familiar voice of Mojave.

" Where are you?" Asked Ghost.

" We're on the roof of your garage." Came the simple answer that brought a smile to Ghost's face.

" Well, get off the roof before you break through it and get in here." Said Ghost calmy.

" Will do." Came the answer, followed by the scrapping sound of feet and the soft thud of said feet hitting the ground.

The small door of the garage opened and two men quickly scurried in. Ghost met the smiling faces of Nighthawk and Mojave with a smile of his own. That however, faded quickly as Ghost remembered the situation.

" Did Intel get anything on Jennings location?" Asked Ghost.

" Oh yeah, the Ass isholed up in an abandoned warehouse just outside of Angeles National Forrest." Growled Nighthawk.

Charlie heaved a sigh, the Angeles Forrest, that would be a long drive. They had until midnight sharp. It was now 6:30 PM. They'd have to leave know if they wanted to get to the ware house.

"Toby?" Asked Ghost.This brought a smile to both Mojave and Nighthawk.

"The beloved Chauffer is parked out front with all our stuff." Grinned Nighthawk.

" Shall we?" Asked Ghost with a innocent smile.

" We shall." Grinned the two other men as they all filed out of the garage and down the driveway to the waiting black SUV, which they piled into.

" Hey cabbie."Greeted Ghost to Tobias Finch.

" Hey Ghost." Said Toby as hestarted the car and headed out of the quiet Pasadena suburb, they destination, Angeles Forrest.

Charlie pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father's number.

"_ Hello?"_ Came the familiar voice of his father.

_" Hey dad it's me Charlie, listen, I'm going to be really late getting home. Working on something with a few buddies from out of town. It's not CalSci related. _" Said Ghost, hoping the old man wouldn't ask questions.

_" Okay Charlie, just don't burn yourself out."_ Said Alan.

_" I won't. See ya later dad."_ Said Charlie before he flipped off his phone and signed softly. He prayed with all his soul that that wasn't the last time he talked to his father.

Now, the" Big Three" unit was headed for yet another battle witha crazy man.

No problem.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 6: The Plan in Motion

An hour and a half was spent simply driving to the damn place. By the time the three " angels of death" and their driver reached the forrest, it was sunset, perfect, darkness was on their side. In truth, they wouldn't be taking the same road to the warehouse until after they had Mandy and Sara safe and sound. The task of getting them out would be left to Nighthawk and Mojave. Ghost would take care of Jennings.

Toby pulled the car to a stop beside the densly wooded are, the warehouse was just visible. Inside the car, Ghost, Nighthawk, and Mojave were already in full battle gear, ready to taste blood. The Darkness of the night and the thickness of the trees was better cover than they could hope for.

" See you in a little bit." Said Ghost as he and his two operatives got out of the SUV and watched Toby make a U - turn and drive off back down the roaduntil he was needed, which was hopefully before 11:00 PM.

" Intel say how many guards?" Asked Ghost as the three of them walked into the woods towards the warehouse.

" Six guards on the outside and twelve on the inside." Growled Mojave as the three of them stopped just short of the tree-line. With their night-visionthey could see the warehouse glowing green fifty feet away. Their position was behind the run-down building.

" That Cocky bastard." Sighed Ghost. Only eighteen men, when the " Big three"had taken out upwards of eighty men in someprevious missions.

" You guys know what to do?" Asked Ghost to his companions.

" I take out the six outside before going in." Answered Mojave.

" I get up on the roof and make a bang, take out the camerasbefore going in to get the girls. Distraction, distraction." Growled Nighthawk, earning adry chuckle from his leader.

" I find Jennings and leave enough life in him to confess toall that he's done. Then... It's off toHellsville for him." Growled Ghost, the anticipation reaching a cresendo.

" We have two hours, so no mistakes." Said Ghost with a finalty before theymoved into action.

Two hours to save two lives...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 7: Blood Bath For the Big Three and Misguidedly on Edge FBI Agent Don

Don Eppes was understandibly on edge as he sat with Megan Reeves in one of the FBI cars, watching a very nervous Daniel Rudyard pace in front of his car, a duffle bag full of " Money" clutched tightly in his hand. In actuallity, it was filled with blank paper and a GPS unit. If everything went according to plan, the bastards who's kidnapped Mandy and Sara Rudyard would be falling right into the FBI's trap... If they showed.

Meanwhile, in the secluded woods, Ghost watched with satisfaction as one by one, the guards outside the building fell dead on the ground, all of them sporting a new hole in their heads. All curtesy of Mojave and his barrettas. Nighthawk was making easy work of scaling the side of the building to the roof. Now that the guard were out, Ghost made his way stealthily to the side of the building, seeing a big gaping hole in the wall he could easily fit through.

" You guys ready?" Asked Ghost into his comm-link.

" No Mercy." Growled Mojave.

" No Mercy." Growled Nighthawk.

" No Mercy." Echoed Ghost.

An unearthly blast of noise and shockwaved shook the building as one of Nighthawk's grenades detonated on que.

" Jennings, you're mine." Thought Ghost as he slipped into the building through the hole, ending up in a lower level of the building.

The grenade had had the desired effect, through the night-vision they could see the green scrambling forms of Jennings's men.

By now, all three operatives were inside the building, each heading for their intended targets.

" The girls, are in the far east wing, storage room, three guards, get their before they can move them." Said Ghost hastily as he ran down a darkened hall, unsheathing his sword as he went.

" Copy that, Jennings is in the main area, ten guys with him." Cracked Mojave.

" Make sure those two girls don't have a scratch on them." Said Ghost as he rounded a corner, spotting a target ahead of him.

" We'll let you know if there's even one." Growled Nighthawk.

Ghost killed the link and pounced on his first victim of the night. The deadly samurai sword make a graceful arch as it sliced through human flesh from shoulder to hip. Ghost didn't stop to look at the man he'd just butchered, he'd stopped looking long before then. Ghost was in the mind-set that, if it came down to it, he'd slice through every opposing man in this building to get to Blake Jennings.

Meanwhile, Mojave had just turned a corner and immediately ran intoan enemy man. The Man aimed and fired off a few rounds from his gun, all of them hit nothing.Mojave had ducked and shotthree of his own rounds. Him being the better marksmen, at three bullets hit their mark in rapid succession. Mojave ran past the corpse and proceeded to the east wing, knowing he'd meet up with Nighthawk. The three men who were gaurding the hostages were dead meat.

Ghost found himself running down a deserted corridor, he passed through the darkness like the specter he was codenamed after. The urge to kill was rising in him as he neared the main floor, with his heat-vision switched on, Ghost could see the feint outlines of his intended targets. However, just before he reached the main area, he stopped. It was common-sense that barging into a room full of heavily armed men was suicide. Ghost had another way of raining on Jennings parade. Ghost quickly back-tracked and found a rusted staircase to the second floor, it would lead him to a balcony overlooking the ground-floor, where Jennings was most definately at.

Confusion was everywhere, Blake Jennings was at a loss for what the hell was going on. He felt little security with the ten men surrounding him. No matter, if all else failed, he had this entire building set to explode, little Mandy and Sara would be headed straight to their maker, no sweat.

The detonator was in his hand, the red button was awful tempting. Ghost looked down at his prey and could see that Blake was holding somthing in his hand. Not taking any chances, Ghost unholstered one of his own guns, complete with silencer. Ghost pressed the scope button on his googles and took aim, his googles serving the purpouse of marking his target. Ghost squeezed the trigger and felt the bullet leave his gun. Ghost calculated the trajectory in his mind and watched with grim satisfaction as the bullet found its target, Blake Jennings hand, the one that had been holding the detonator, which was now useless. A predatory grin graced Ghost's face behind his mask as he heard Blake Jennings scream in agony.

More confused voices rang out, Ghost saw his opportunity to strike. The CIA operative gripped the rusted metal railing tightly before he hurled himself over it, swooping down on his unsuspecting victims like death incarnate.The soft metallic _" Shing"_ was followed by a startled scream of death, then another, and another, and another.The remaining men fired wildly into the darkness, hoping they'd hit whoever was mercilessly cutting them down. All around him, Blake could hear the last livimg moments of his men, one by one falling victim to some unknown force. Then everything went completely silent save for the fearful breathing of the remaining men.

" Blake, we gotta get out of hear." Came one of his men's voices.

" Come on, let's go." Came another. The sound of feet running away was heard before another soft metallic _" Shing"._ The next sounds were two dull thuds. If the lights had been one, Blake and his remaining three men would have seen a fellow man decapitated.

" Anybody still alive, stay with me!" Screamed Blake. He immediately felt the three other men gather around him. There was stillness once more, the sound of harsh ragged breathing was the only sound.

Ghost could feel the fury of his bloodlust coursing through his veins, he'd stop after the last three men were butchered meat. He had a different kind ofdeath in mind for Blake Jennings, he still had to confess his sins, especially his current one, kidnapping.

Like a wolf, Ghost circled his prey sizing them all up, they would be no problem. Then, like acoiled snake who found his mouse, Ghost lashed out with his Samurai sword, burying it to the hilt intoone of the eerrie green shapes he saw through his night-vision.But, he wasn't done withjust one, Ghost unearthed his sword fromwhat was now a corpse and lashed out again, this time catching a second man at theside of his head. Ghost felt his blade pass through bone and flesh like it was semi-hard butter, the second man fell with half his head missing. Ghost turned to the final man and without missing a beat in this dance of death, the sword made a graceful arch as it came down on its last terrified victim.

An unearthly scream filled the air and Ghost severed the man's right arm before swinging the blade once more, this time taking his head. Ghost had just gone against orders, he'd given a man the mercy of death.

Ghost backed off and let Jennings stalk around in confusion and fear, shooting blindly into the darkness that surrounded him.

Ghost shielded his left wrist and he looked as his digital watch, the screen illuminating under his gloved hand as he checked the time, only an hour and a half had passed by, there was still two hours and a half before the " Deadline" the FBI were expecting.

" Wow, that was fast." Thought Ghost as he continued to watchJennings flounder about in the dark.

" You should've remembered your night-vision googles, idiot." Thought Ghost with a smirk.

While the bloodbath in the main area was happening,Mojave and Nighthawk had reached the far east wing.The three men had automatic weapons with them, stunning them was Nighthawk's job as he pulled out a flash grenade and with true aim, sent it flying straight towards the two men. The bang was earshattering and left the three burly guards stunned. Mojave to the opportunity and displayed his deadly acurracy. All three men received a third eye, curtesy of the CIA.

The door the three men had been gaurding had been blasted open, Mojave and Nighthawk could here the shrill, terrified screams of Mandy and Sara. They quickly rushed forward towards the storage closet and were met with the sight of two twin girls clingling to each other.

" Please don't hurt us." Sobbed one of them as they both cried.

Mojave moved forward and knelt before the two very scared children.

" No, no ninas, we're not going to hurt you. We came to take you home to your Mom and Dad." Said Mojave gently. Upon hearing this, the two girls looked up at strange men glad in black with funny masked on.

" P-promise?" Asked Mandy, tears still running down her face. Nighthawk knelt before the two girls and reached out a gloved hand, gently wiping a tear away from Mandy's cheek.

" We promise." Said Nighthawk with a nod. That seemed to break the wall as both girls rushed forward, each running into either Mojave or Nighthawk's welcoming arms.

" Shh. It's alright, It's alright." Said Mojave soothingly as he rubbed Mandy's back.

" Mandy, Sarah, we need you to do something to do for us." Said Nighthawk.

Bothe girls looked up and stared at him.

" I need you to close your eyes. Keep them closed until we tell you to open them. Okay?" Asked Nighthawk. Both girls nodded vigorously before shutting their eyes and tightening their holds around both Mojave and Nighthawk's necks.

The two Operatives nodded to each other before getting up, each carrying a child. They got out of the room and into the hall with only one destination in mind, out of this hell-hole. As they quickly navigated their way through the hall Nighthawk tried to raise their leader on the comm-link, only getting static.

" Be alright Ghost." Thought Nighthawk, worried what was going on with Ghost.

In the main area, Ghost had just finished beating Jennings into unconsciousness and handcuffing him. Now came the fun part. Ghost reached into one of the pockets of the black cargo pants he had on and pulled out a new toy. Ghost fastened the collar around Jennings's throat. The purpose of this collar would be revealed in due time. For now, Ghost also put a black hood over Blakes head before hoisting the man over a shoulder and carried him out of the warehouse.

As he laborously walked, Ghost pressed a button on his comm-link.

" Mojave, Nighthawk, you their?" Asked Ghost. After some static, a relieved voice filled the line.

" Ghost, you okay man?" Asked Nighthawk.

" Yeah, I'm good, even have our friend Blake in tow. Enough about me, are the girls alright?" Asked Ghost urgently.

" They're scared but alright, we're headed outside, we'll meet you at the front." Mojave's already called Toby, he's on his way." Answered Nighthawk.

" Good, we have and appointment to keep with the FBI." Said Ghost as he continued onwards.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 8: Confession and What Was Most Certainly a Painful Death.

Toby pulled up in front of the very damaged warehouse right on time as Mojave and Nighthawk materialized from the darkness of the building. Each carried a little girl in their arms.

" Sarah, Mandy, you can open your eyes now, we're out of the building." Said Nighthawk. The two girls opened their eyes and looked around their surroundings. then they both clung to their individual rescuer tightly as the four of them made their way to the massive black SUV a few feet away. Toby quickly got out of the driver's seat and opened the side passenger door. The four people piled into the car. Nighthawk and Mojave quickly wrapped the girls in the thick army green blankets Toby had kept in the trunk. Now they were waiting for their leader to materialize out of the delapidated warehouse, Mandy and Sarah seated comfortably between the two CIA operatives. True to form, Ghost appeared with the unconscious form of Blake Jennings draped over a shoulder.

" Pop the trunk." Growled Ghost.

Toby obeyed without question and watched the CIA Operative unceremoniously dump his battered burden into the trunk bed before wordlessly heading for the front passenger seat. Toby trotted around to the driver's side and got in.

Ghost took off his night-vision googles, exposing his eyes through the mask he still wore. He turned around to look behind him to see the rest of his team and the hostages they'd just rescued.

" Mandy, Sarah, are you two alright?" He asked in a voice that was gruffer than his usual tone, though his deep brown eyes conveyed his concern and caring. The two girls nodded vigorously, captivated by this new stranger.

" A-are you gonna take us home?" Asked Mandy.

" Yes, we are. We're gonna be headed back to the city, your mom and dad are waiting for us." Answered Ghost. Nighthawk and Mojave also removed their goggles, giving themselves more humanity for the girls sake.

Ghost turned to Toby and nodded, Toby started the car and made a U-turn back onto the road, leaving the dilapidated building behind them. As the night-time scenery passed them by, Ghost pulled out his cell-phone and pressed a number on speed-dial.

" RING"..." RING"..." RING"...

" Steele." Came the reply.

" It's me sir, it's done, we have the hostages and Jennings." Said Ghost, all business.

" Is he dead?" Asked Steele.

" Not yet sir, but trust me, he will be." Said Ghost calmly.

" Whatever you're planning, make sure it works. And get those girls home safe. Oh, and don't worry about the warehouse which I am sure is very messy at the moment, I'll take care of it." Said Steele before the line went dead.

Ghost put his phone back into his pocket before turning to the back seat.

" Is anyone hungry?" He asked. He watched with a tiny smile as two identical hands shot up.

" Guess we should stop by Burger King or somthing. We have an hour to spare before midnight." Said Ghost to Toby.

The blonde CIA agent nodded in agreement as they all settled in for the ride, the forest giving way to the city of Angels.

The SUV weaved it's way through the now sparce traffic and pulled into a Burger King drive-thru. Toby had killed the light and Ghost hid his face in the shadow the car provided.

" Hello,I'd like to order two junior mealswith two smallvanilla milkshakes please." Said Toby as he fished out the cash from his wallet.

" You so owe me man."Muttered Toby under his breath as he handed the cashier at the window the mony and accepted the food when it came, passing it back to Mandy and Sara.

Nighthawk and Mojave watched in amusment as the two girls went at it with the best. They devoured their meals and sat content, a protective arm around each of them as Toby continued on to the West Valley Mall parking lot. As they drove, Ghost reached into one of his other pockets and pulled out a contact lens container.

Meanwhile, at said parking lot, Don popped his gum for the millionth time, much to the annoyance of Megan Reeves, who shot him a glare.

" Sorry." Muttered Don as he stared back out into the lot, back to a still pacing Daniel Rudyard. It was ten minutes to midnight, ten minutes before the kidnapper said he'd show. The minutes passed by painfully before a noise was heard. The entire FBI unit that was their immediately became alert as a massive black SUV pulled into the parking lot.

" Hold your positions guys, we go only when the girls are safely out of the way." Said Don into his mich.

" Copy." Came the grainy voices of David and Colby. They all watched tensely as the SUV came to a stop a few feet away from Daniel Rudyard.

Inside the car, Ghost blink his eyes as he got used to the contact lenses he'd just donned, turning his deep brown eyes to a very icy shade of blue. Hopefully, that would be enough for his own brother not to recognize the face behind the mask. Ghost turned to the back and eyed the eager faces of Mandy and Sarah Rudyard when they caught a glimpse of their father in the distance. Then a moan came from the trunk, Blake Jennings was awake from his little nap. The two girls clung to either Mojave or Nighthawk, fearful of the man who'd put them through this hellish day and night.

" Okay, Mandy, Sarah, these two guys are gonna take you to your dad. I'm gonna handle the guy in the back so don't worry about him, he'll never hurt you again, I promise." Said Ghost.

" Why are you're eyes different?" Asked Sarah.

"It's for security reasons." Said Ghost simply. The two girls looked at their three saviors.

" Are we gonna see you again?" Asked Mandy. At this question, Ghost answered carefully.

"I don't think so sweetheart, but you never know." Said Ghost, earning twin smiles from the two girls.

Outside, FBI agents had moved into position, ready to take out the " Bad guys".

" Let's do this." Said Ghost as he opened his side door, Mojave and Nighthawk doing the same.

Daniel Rudyard watched tensely as the doors of the SUV opened and men wearing black came out. His heart stopped when he saw two of them carrying the blanket wrapped forms of his two daughters.

" Mandy? Sarah!" He yelled. In the background, Don and the other FBI agent stood on high alert, wondering what the " Kidnappers" were up to.

" DADDY!" Yelled Mandy and Sarah as they still clung to their rescuers but waved at their father. Nighthawk and Mojave slowly made their was to Daniel Rudyard and handed their precious bundles to the very relieved man before them.

" Oh God, are you to all right? Are you hurt? I love you. I love you!" Cried Daniel Rudyard as he wrapped his arms around his girls, kneeling on his knees as he hugged them. Nighthawk and Mojave both turned and began to walk away when the enevitable yell came.

" FBI! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!"

Don Eppes and his fellow agent converged onto the scene, they formed a semi-circle around the two masked men, making sure to keep their distance when they saw the numerous weapons these two carried. Daniel Rudyard began to move back woth his girls, taking them away from the dangerous situation when out of nowhere, both of the girls broke free from his grasp.

" Mandy! Sara! Yelled Daniel in shock as he watched his girls run towards the two masked men. They managed to push past the FBI agents, who were caught off guard by them. Sara and Mandy threw themselves into Nighthawk and Mojave's arms as the two men kneeled down to catch them. The two girls had used themselve to sheild their rescuers.

" What the hell? Lower your weapons now!" Yelled Don, shocked beyond belief at what he was seeing. Both Mandy and Sarah started wailing in unison as the men they were hugging tried to calm them down.

" Mandy, Sarah, sweethearts please get away from them, their bad men!" Yelled Daniel Rudyard as David struggled to keep him back.

" NOOOO... THEY SAVED US FROM THE BAD MEN!" Wailed Mandy as she clung tighter to Mojave.

" PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM!" Cried Sarah as she hugged Nighthawk, all the while sobbing uncontrollably.

These two statements sent shockwaves through the FBI agents.

" Everybody, lower your weapons!" Yelled Colby, his eyes still glued on the scene before them. Nighthawk was gently rubbing Sarah back and whispering reassurances in her ear while Mojave did the same thing. Then, a rustling sound was heard as a third masked man materialized from the darkness. Ghost looked from the plethora of FBI Agents to his two guys and the two girls they had in their arms. He glanced back at Toby, who'd also donned a mask and held a vice-like grip on the hooded and still groggy Blake Jennings in the shadows.

Don watched as this new guy made his way over to the two kneeling men.

" Mandy, Sarah, it's gonna be okay, just come here. Come to me." Whispered Ghost gruffly hoping Don wouldn't recognize his voice.

Mandy and Sarah hesitantly let go of Nighthawk and Mojave and walked over to Ghost, still weeping. The FBI watched as this new man gently pulled both girls into a hug. They in turn hugged him back.

" You girls are really brave you know that?" Chuckled Ghost softly.

" We don't want them to hurt you." Blubbered Sarah.

" They won't. Now look at me." Said Ghost as he pulled back and met two pairs of weepy green eyes.

"You see that pretty FBI lady over their?" Asked Ghost as he pointed towards Megan. The two girls turned towards the indicated person.

" I want you to go to her, her name is Megan, tell her to get you and your dad out of here, I don't want you to see what happens next." Said Ghost as he cupped one of Mandy and Sarah's cheek with a gloved hand. The two girls nodded before they turned and did what Ghost told them.

" Megan?" Squeaked Mandy, loud enough for the female FBI agent to hear. Megan holstered her weapon and lunged forward, taking both girls into her arms and dragged them away, though in the back of her mind, she was stunned that they knew her name. The two girls were reunited with their father, Megan directed them to the waiting ambulance that would take them to the hospital before she headed back to the tense stand-off.

" Who are these guys?" Asked David as the FBI agents raised their weapons once more and watched as the third guy disappeared into the shadows for a few seconds before materializing once more, this time yanking another man with him. Don eyed the handcuffs and hood, wondering what was going on.

The man with the hood on his head was roughly shoved to the ground a mere foot away from Don. He stood on his knees while the masked man visciously yanked the hood away, revealing a very bruised and battered face, along with a funning looking collar-like device around his neck. The man was breathing fast, a look of fear gracing his battered face. The masked man loomed over him and roughly grasped some of the kneeling man's dirty blonde hair, causing him to cry out in pain.

" Talk." Growled the Masked Man as he roughly released the hair he grasped in his fist.

" M-my name isBlake Jennings, and I am the man who kidnapped Mandy and Sarah Rudyard." SaidBlake through gritted teeth. All sympathy for this man's sorry state was immediately wiped out upon hearing these words.

" Why'd you kidnap them Blake?" Asked Don, his voice and gaze hard.

" Daniel Rudyard is a well to do man, I only wanted the money, I wasn't actually going to hurt his girls." Pleaded Blake wretchedly. As soon as these words left Blake's mouth, the FBI watched as cold fury fill the pale blue eyes of the masked man. He pulled out a pen-like object from one of the pockets of his cargo pant and pressed the red button at the very top of it.

Don and the other FBI agents watched in horror and the collar around Blake's neck came to life with God knows how many volts of electricity now coursed through the man kneeling before them. It only lasted a second but it was enough to reduce Blake to tears before he spoke.

" I'm s-sorry... I'm s-sorry!" He shrieked pitifully. Ghost noticed with satisfaction that the British secret service agent he'd once known and respected was long gone, replaced by this wretch of a man.

" Hey! Don't do that again." Yelled Don as he turned his gun on the Masked man.

" I have the clearance to terminate, this man is a former British Secret Service Agent. Me and my guys, we're CIA. We're here to finish what he started when he went rogue. You have your confession Agent Eppes, I suggest you leave it at that. Now, you can watch our friend Jake here fry cause that's what I'm going to do, or you can go check on Mandy and Sarah Rudyard, make sure this son of a bitch didn'thurt them in any way." Growled the CIA Operative as his two fellow CIA Agents flanked him.

This new developement left Don's mind reeling. They were staring at three CIA Operatives, all with the intent to electricute Blake Jennings. What Don ahted was the fact that they had the clearance. With a deep sigh, Don lowered his service weapon, the other agents following his example.

" C'mon, we don't need to see this." He said calmly as he turned and left. The other agents followed suite, as they went, Ghost couldn't resist.

"Nice to see you again Agent Granger." He smirked as Colby stopped dead and whirled around with David eyeing him strangely. Colby lookedconfused as he stared at the CIA Operative, who's pale blue eyes gazed back at him in mild amusement.

" Go Home." Said Ghost before he turned his cold gaze back to a terrified Blake Jennings, who trembled where he knelt.

Colby allowed David to pull him away, still trying to fathom just what Ghost had meant.

Don paused a moment to gaze back at what he was turning a blind eye to. He knew, Blake Jennings was in for a long and torchureous way to death. He now wondered what he was going to say to Director Merrick when they got back to the office. Don turned and headed for his SUV, where his team was waiting for him. He was thankful that all he could do was imagine what Blake was going to go through and not have to witness it in it's entirety.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 9: Morning After and a Momentary Diversion.

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, smiling down on Pasadena California. At a house in the suburbs, Alan Eppes woke up from a somewhat restless night of sleep. The old man stretched before heading out of his room to the bathroom. Before he got to his intended destination, he once again made his way to the room at the end of the hall. He gently opened the door and eyed the occupant inside. Alan smiled when he saw Charlie passed out on his stomach in a large gray t-shirt and black sweat pants from what the dark green comforter failed to conceal. Alan gently closed the door and let his son sleep in once more, knowing he'd been out very late the night before.

When the door clicked shut, a pair of deep brown eyes slowly opened. Charlie had taken the initiative of Christian Wolfe, and popped two sleeping pills for a mercifully dreamless night's sleep. He'd been awake long before his father had poked his head in to see if he'd come home. Charlie stretched before he got up andsat over the side of his bed as hegazed out of his bedroom window, at the bright new sunny morning. The light did nothing to warm him up, for know, his soul felt as cold and dead as Blake Jennings well-cooked corpse probably was by now, frozen in some meat locker God knows where. Charlie ran both his hands through his mass of curly hair and silently waited for the sounds that would indicate that his father had exited the bathroom. The sound of his father heading down the stairs was his signal.

Charlie slowly walked into the freshly vaccated bathroom and took care of the necessary morning rituals before he turned on the shower to a gentle steam. Last night's secret actions had not left him without a few aches and pains. Charlie pulled off the grey T-shirt and black sweat pants he'd slept in and stepped into the welcoming spray. As the water cascaded down his well-toned flesh, Charlie tried his hardest not to think of the previous night's even, save for the faces of Mandy and Sarah Rudyard, the two girls they'd saved. Besides, it didn't do to dwell on that which couldn't be undone. For now, he'd put up the facade of having a normal Sunday morning with his dad. As he continued to enjoy his shower, Charlie wondered what big brother Don was up to.

Little did he know, said brother was pulling up into the drive-way of Casa Eppes. Don planned on spending his day off by first enjoying some of his father's famous cooking, and maybe catch upwith a certain curly haired individual. Don turned off his car and got out, fishing out another set of keys as he neared the door. In the kitchen, Alan looked up from the pancake he was cooking when he heard the fron door open.

" Morning, Dad?" Came the familiar voice of his eldest son.

" In here Don!" Called Alan, hearingfootsteps come closer and closer until his son walked into the kitchen.

" Hey, what's cookin?" Asked Don.

"Pankcakes." Answered Alan, grinning as he saw the eager anticipation fill his son's face. Pankcakes were his favorite.

" Where's Charlie?" Asked Don as he took a seat at the kitchen counter.

" Well, he should be up by now but, he did have to work late last night." Answered Alan as he flipped the cake so the other side could cook.

" Huh, what'd he work late on?" Asked Don, naturally curious.

" He didn't say, just came back home at like, one of two in the morning I think, he told me not to wait up." Said Alan as he deposited the pancake onto the already heftly stack on the plate beside the stove.

Don was about to ask more when the sound of feet coming down the stairs stopped him. He turned and watched a very grouchy looking Charlie walk into the kitchen, wearing a dark blue T-shirt with a white tribal design emblazoned across the chest and a well-worn pair of jeans.

" Morning." Grumbled Charlie as he took a seat beside Don.

" Morning sleepyhead." Grinned Don as he reached out and playfully ruffled his baby brother's curly hair. Much to his delight, this earned a small chuckle from the younger man, who gently swatted away the hand buried in his hair.

" How'd that kidnapping case go?" Asked Charlie, _innocently. _

Don's smile faltered a moment before becoming slightly less jovial and more reserved.

" We got Mandy and Sarah back safely." Said Don quietly, Charlie felt a small pang of guilt, it was needless to say that Don had not been thrilled by the CIA pawing on his terf.

" Well, that's wonderful!" Grinned Alan as he picked up the plate full of pancakes and headed for the dinning room.

Charlie and Don each grabbed a plate and fork and followed their father to the table. Don immediately forked a few pancakes onto his plate and all but drowned them in syrup. Charlie wrinkled his nose, he never liked pancakes, but he'd eat them for his father's sake.

" You don't seem so thrilled about findings those girls alive and well?" Asked Alan. He watched as Don sighed before he spoke.

" I mean yeah, I'm glad the girls alright but, it wasn't us who saved them." Said Don

" What do you mean?" Asked Alan, his brow knitting in confusion shile Charlie secretly chewed on his inner cheek.

" I mean,The guy who kidnapped these two girls had a beef with the CIA. They're the ones who found the girls and brought them to the parking-lot where theKidnapper said he'd exchange them for thefake money we gave Judge Rudyard.All I can say is, it was intense." Sighed Don.

" How so?" Asked Charlie as he picked at his pancakes.

" After two of the CIA guys carried the girls back to their father, we moved in because we thought they were the bad guys.We have them surrounded and out of nowhere, those two girls pushed their way past us and ran straight into these guys arms, screaming and wailing, saying howthey weren't going to let us hurt them and that these two guys saved them. We're all standing there watching all this when a third guy just walks out of the shadows and hugs the girls to him and then tells them to go to Megan." Said Don, pausing when he saw the shock on both his father and brother's faces.

" Wait a minute, they knew who you guys were?" Asked Alan.

" Well, like I said, they were CIA, Central Intelligence." Said Don as he sat back.

" What happened next?" Asked Charlie, his " curiousity" peaked.

" After Megan drags the girls away, the third guy dissappears back behind the SUV and drags this other guy out, the real Kidnapper, Blake Jennings. He's been cuffed and hooded and the CIA man pushes the sorry piece of crap in front of us and rips of the hood. The guy's been worked over real good and to top it off, he is terrified and has this funny looking collar around his neck. He confesses to everything and when he starts pleading with us, saying he wasn't actually going to hurt the kids, the CIA man pulls out a remote that looked more like a pen with a little red button on top. The collar thingy around Jennins's neck comes to life and shoots God nows how many volts of electricity through him. I tell the CIA dude to stop and all he does is tell me off and give me an ultimatum, I could either watch him fry Blake Jennings or I could go make sure the girls were alright. I chose to go see the girls and then start my report, hell, there wasn't much else I could do." Said Don as he shook his head, there was an uncomfortable silence before Alan spoke.

" These guys were the real deal huh?" He asked.

" Oh yeah, I tell you now, I wouldn't ever want to get on this guy's bad side in particular." Said Don, not seeing the flash of guilt that passed through Charlie's eyes. Charlie licked his suddenly dry lips before speaking.

" Well, at least two lives were saved." Said Charlie quietly.

" Yeah, they were." Agreed Don, not catching the mischevious gleam in Charlie's eyes.

" You got told off." Said Charlie in a sing-song voice, grinning from ear to ear.

That seemed to snap Don out of his downer mood. A fire lit in Don's eyes.

" Oh now you are gonna get it!" He barked before he lunged at his baby brother. Charlie barely managed to bolt from his seat and headed for the living room, Don hot on his heels. Charlie let out a yelp when he felt Don tackle him into the soft carpet. The next thing Charlie knew, Don proceeded to tickle him silly.

" You take that back!" Laughed Don as he continued his assault on the writhing form beneath him. From where he sat, Alan Eppes was laughing his head off at seeing his boys, both grown men, frolicking like they were kids again. It was a heartwarming sight for the old man.

"Make...Me!" Cried Charlie breathlessly as he continued to fight half-heartedly against his older brother.

Charlie knew full well that he could send his brother flying if he wanted to, but it just so happened, he was thoroughly enjoying being at Don's mercy. Upon hearing this, Don doubled his efforts, finding all of the sensitive areas. After a good two minutes, Charlie was mewing for mercy, the two brothers rolling around the floor, laughing so hard they had tears streaming from their eyes. After a good five-minutes, Don got to his feet and pulled Charlie up with him, only to have Charlie pounce on him and give him a noogy.The two continued to rough-house until their father intervened.

" Boy's, enough, breakfast is getting cold." Chuckled Don, watching as his boys obediantly returned to the table and began to calmy eat their breakfast. Charlie felt happy, happier than he had been in a long time, it almost made him forget what he'd done the night before...

Almost.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 10: The Desert Wind and Some Unanswered Questions for Colby Granger

Charlie sighed as the city gave way to open road and desert sands. The car radio was blaring Breaking Benjamins " So Cold", which ironically reflected the mood the driver was in. After the tickle-fest he had with Don, the cold, hard truth came crashing back. Charlie waited until both his father and Don had gone off to do whatever they were planning on doing for the day before he all but bolted for his car and sped off outinto the desert contry that led to Navada. After two hours of driving, Charlie whipped the car off the road and plowed into the sandy dirt. The car came to a stop a few feet away from a large boulder.

Charlie killed the engine and got out, as he walked to the boulder, all of the emotions he'd been keeping at bay for the better part of last night seemed to mix in the couldron that was his soul. Charlie gracefully climbed onto the boulder and sat samuari style on the nearly flat surface. Deep brown eyes slowly filling with anguish and pain gazed out at the nearly endless desert land with hills in the background. Tears welled and then fell from these eyes that had seen so much, but remained innocent, undimmed by the harsh reality that was lived by their owner.

Charlie gazed up at the cloudless blue sky through his tears and finally let himself drown in his sorrow. WIthin him, Charlie felt somthing clawing it's way to the surface...

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"An anguished scream filled the still air of the desert land. This scream was followed by another and another until all the strength to scream was gone from Charlie's body. Charlie lay prostrated before the sun, before the cloudless sky, before heaven itself. The wind suddenly picked up and seemed to swirl around him, whispering in his ear.

_" Murderer...Murderer...Murderer..."_ It seemed to whisper.

_" Yes, I am a murderer, but I can live with that, so shut-up."_ Growled Charlie to no one in particular as he scrubbed at the salty tears that stained his face and heaved a sigh before he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper and unfolded it, it was another letter to Margret Eppes. It read...

_Dear Mom,_

_It's me again, I thought I'd write to you, it's been a while since I did. I had to kill alot of men last night, and I ran into Don and the FBI. Good thing I had those contacts with me, they didn't recognize me. In the back of my mind I keep hearing the echoes of Blake's screams, he was the last man I killed. Mom, things don't scare me as much or even at all as they once did, like in the beginning. But it was okay, I had you, now, I deal with it alone and excuse my language, that sucks. _

_I liked hurting that man, I liked it so much, I didn't stop until he was well-done. I won't go into detail what I did, only that I did it. God, sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm doing being a CIA Operative, other times, I wouldn't have it any other way. This last job, it was too close and now, suspisions have been been raised, especially with Colby, I probably unearthed some memories for him. Hopefully he won't figure out that I'm the one who saved him in Khandahar. I'm gonna keep my mouth shut if I meet him or any of the others again as Ghost. _

_Anyway, it was nice writing to you, I hope you're enjoying the clouds and sun. _

_I miss you so much, and like I said before, you always saved me. _

_I love you. _

_Charlie_.

Charlie dug into another pocket and pulled out his lighter. With a flick of his wrist the miniscule flame came to life. Charlie brought the corner of the paper to the flame and watched as it ignited. And like at the pier over the lake in Zermatt, he waited until all that was left was ashes in hand. He gently blew the conents on his hand into the air and was satisfied to see the wind that had moments ago seemed to torment him bore the ashes away, hopefully towards heaven. Charlie sat there for a few minutes more before he headed back to his car. On the empty road, Charlie whipped the car back around, pointing back towards civilization, and the normal half of life. He had a lunch date with Colby and only an hour before he had to get to the restaurant.

As he drove back, he felt lighter than he'd felt all day. Screaming really helped vent emotions.

Meanwhile, Colby Granger sat in one of the booths in the old-fashioned diner he and Charlie were going to have luch in. He fiddled with a napkin, his mind on other things, mainly the events of the previous night.

_" It's nice to see you again, Agent Granger."_

These simple words played over and over again in Colby head. Whenever he closed his eyes, a pair of cold blue ones stared back at him.

What did the CIA guy mean when he said that? How did he know his name? When did they meet before? Who was he? These were just some of the questions that plagued the FBI Agent.

He was so preoccupied with his musings he didn't see a certain Curly haired friend of his sneak up on him with a mischevious glint in his deep brown eyes.

" What you thinkin about Army Man?" Said Charlie, his lips mere inches from his unsuspecting friend's ear. Much to his great amusement, the FBI Agent almost cleared the booth.

" Jesus man! How the hell did you do that?" Asked Colby as he got over his momentary surprise.

" Taking advantage of unsuspecting prey." Chuckled Charlie as he took the seat across from Colby. He waved a waitress over. The two of them gave in their lunch orders before immediately heading into a conversation about the previous night.

" So you're saying this guy knows you?" Asked Charlie, feining shock once more.

" I'm telling you, this guy... I hope I never piss him off, if I do, I don't want to think of how he'd get rid of me." Said Colby, a worried look on his face. Charlie chuckled quietly, though in the back of his mind, he winced, he hoped it would never come to what his friend just said.

" Where do you think he knows you from?" Asked Charlie, mentally smirking.

" That's the thing, I can't recall when my path ever crossed with his." Said Colby with a shake of his head.

" Maybe it'll come to you." Said Charlie with a shrug, they looked up when their food arrived. The two men dug into their meals and spent the rest of their time talking about other things like the guys at the gym and Charlie's undefeated streak as " King of the Mat".


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 11: Some Vague Info About a Certain CIA Unit and Remembering.

It was a new morning and Don Eppes was sitting in the breakroom nursing a fresh mug of coffee. As he stared at the deep, almost black liquid, he remebered a pair of vibrant almost black eyes smiling up at his in laughter. That had been yesterday morning, now it wasMonday, and back to work for both brothers.

" Hey Don, Director Merrick wants to see us." Came the familiar voice of one David, snapping Don out of his thoughts. The FBI Agent nodded and followed the other man to the conference room.

When the two of them got to the " war-room", they arrived in time to here Merrick start.

" As you know, there was an incident two nights ago in which this agency had a run-in with Central Intellegence. I have just received some information to explain what the situation was. Blake Jennings was a rogue British Secret Service Agent who was responsible for 36 deaths, including four of his fellow agents. The CIA had once tried to terminate him, but as is well known now, they failed in that first attempt. Second time was the charm." Said Merrick.

The FBI Agents in the room were silent before Don broke the silence.

" Who were those guys, I mean name wise?" He asked.

" Collectively, these three Operatives are known as the Big Three Unit. Their individual codenames were not disclosed. People be advised, these men are the top CIA Unit in the world. They have never failed to complete a mission one way or the other.They are cold, and efficient, showing mercy only when ordered. If we ever run into them again, it is strongly advised that we stay out of their way, if you want to keep your limbs. So happens the leader of the Unit is very partial to dismemberment." Said Merrick.

This last statement left a few Agents feeling uneasy. Don turned to his team and his gaze immediately fell of a very haunted looking Colby Granger. Don's brow knitted in confusion as he met the confused and concerned gazes of David Sinclair and Megan Reeves.

_" What's wrong with Colby?"_ Thought Don as Director Merrick concluded the briefing.

When the four of them got back to their desks, Don watched as Colby sat in his chair chewing on his thumbnail.

" Hey, what's wrong Colby?" Asked Don as he stood beside his fellow agent. Colby stared up at him with troubled green-eyes.

" Oh, nothing, nothing's wrong. I just... I keep thinking about something one of those CIA Dudes, the one who fried Jenning, told me." Answered Colby.

" What did he say to you?" Asked Don, his curiosity peaked.

" He said, He was glad to see me again. Like we'd met before." Answered the other agent.

" What do you think he meant?" Asked Don. Don watched as the troubled expression grew slightly.

" Don, I think I owe this guy my life."


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 12: Explaining a Vague Memory and Scars CanTell Much About a Man.

_" Don, I Think I owe this guy my Life"_

Don felt a ringing in his ears after these words were spoken. He stared at Colby in disbelief and it took him a moment to get his voice back.

" What...What do you mean?" Asked Don, watching Colby shake his head. The Ex- soldier sigh before he spoke.

" I was just outside of Khandahar with my group when someone started shooting at us. We shot back and it was total chaos. I was standing a few feet away from this run-down car when it blew up, sent me flying, according to one of my friends who was nearby.All I can really remember are a pair of cold blue eyes staring down at me before everything went black. When I woke up, I was in medical with a nast bump on my head. Later, one of the other guys who was out there came by for a visit and told me that we'd all made it out safely, thanks to three men all in black. He told me that one of them had seen me get knocked out and dragged me out of there by the collar of my outfit and left me by the side of the road where they would easily find me." Said Colby. He looked up at Don to see what the other FBI agent was thinking.

" Did he say anything else about these guys?" Asked Don softly. Colby shrugged before he spoke.

" It was almost midnight out there and we were ambushed. When day-light came we were alive, and the twenty something men who'd attcked us were either dead, or without certain body-parts. My buddy had said that the one who'd dragged me away came back afterwards and started hacking everything to pieces with his Samurai sword, the other two guys had either guns or grenades. You know Don... I'm kinda glad I did get knocked out. According to my guys, these three were ruthless, and that they could hear the screams of all twenty men dying in rapid succession. When it was all over, these guys simply walked away across the sand and disappeared into the night like ghosts." Said Colby as he went back to chewing on his thumbnail.

" Wow... That must have been intense." Came a new voice, soft but serious. Both Don and Colby looked up to see who'd spoken, Megan Reeves was leaning against one of the cubical while David Sinclair stood next to her, they'd heard the entire conversation.

" It was intense two nights ago too." Said David, remember the small but powerful exchange between Colby and the CIA Dude. Colby nodded in agreement.

"One things for sure, if we ever meet these guys again, we better be careful." Said Megan as she combed her hair with her fingers.

Don sighed before he looked at his team.

" Hey c'mon, lets get back to work before Merrick jumps us." Said the Agent as he headed back to his desk, Megan and David following suit.

And so the day went one, with a few new revelations and a feint sense of foreboding.

After work was done, Colby finished writing the last report on his desk and bid his fellow agents farewell. He was looking forward to a few relaxing hours at the gym, blowing off some steam and trying to make sense of some current events. He left, looking forward to a few hours of just hanging out with some good buddies and just being.

Little did he know, he'd be learning some new, startling information about a certain Curly- haired friend on his. The drive to the Gym was thankfully without any incident, Colby parked his silver suv infront of the Gym/Dojo and grabbed his gym bag before heading in.

" Hey Manny." Said Colby with a grin as he clasped hands with the Gym Trainer.

" Hey Granger, good to see you, and before you ask, most of the guys are here, even Chuck, he's in the lockers." Said Manny, pointing to said location.

" Thanks man." Said Colby before he headed to the lockers.

When he got there he found the place to be relatively deserted. When Colby turned a corner he stopped when his eyes fell on a certain Mathematician sans a shirt as he was putting on his kendo armor. It was the first time Colby was seeing the powerfully muscled and pale back. His eyes also fell on the tattoo on the lower right side.

" See something you like Colby?" Said Charlie suddenly without turning, momentarily startling the other man.

" Woah man, how'd you know I was here, I was being extra quiet?" Said Colby as he walked over to the locker that was two places away from Charlie's.

" You weren't being quiet enough, I could here you breathing." Said Charlie with a smile. He turned slightly to reach for the black T-shirt he dropped on the bench behind him, giving Colby a clear few of his well-built front and the scars that marred it.

Colby felt his eyes grow wide when they landed on the scars that adorned Charlie's body.

" Charlie, how the hell did you get all of these scars man!" He asked before he could stop himself.

He watched as a small, sad smile graced Charlie's lips as he stared back at him. He then pointed to the scar on his shoulder.

" I got this from a piece of shrapnel from whenI was in Istanbul.Building blew up." Said Charlie simply. He watched as Colby's jaw lost all tension and made good friends with the floor. Charlie heaved a sigh before he continued. He next pointed to the scar on his hip.

" Bullet graze. I was caught in a fire fight in Russia when I was consulting for the US Military." Said Charlie, if it was possible, Colby's mouth hung lower and his eyes grew wider. Charlie then got to the most prominent scar.

" My sparing partner almost disembowled me whenI was learning Swordplay in Japan." Said Charlie finally.

It seemed like an eternity before Colby coulduse his voice. He swallowed once before he spoke.

"Who are you?" He asked, in disbelief and awe. At this Charlie gave a soft chuckle before he reached out and gently pushed his friends jaw up, which had been hanging agape after the question had been asked.

" I'm Charlie Eppes. But to you, I'm the Whizkid. There just scars man, don't worry about it." Answered Charlie with a smile before he went back to getting ready for what would be very rigorous sparring.

Colby watched his friend silently get ready and with one final smile, head out of the locker-room Shinai and mask in hand. Green eyes still wide and awed followed him before he disappeared around a corner.

_" I need to sit down."_ Thought Colby as he sank to the bench and sat there trying to contemplate what he'd just found out.

This coversation they'd just had was far from over... Far from over.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 13: Coversation Over Drinks And Kinship Between Two Men.

When Colby got out of the lockers after he'd changed, he headed to the Jiu Jitsu Mats, althoughthe sole focus of his gaze was the kendo mats and a certain fighter in black who was kicking major ass yet again as he fought against three opponents at once. Instead of diving into hisprefered sport, Colby found himself sitting on the sides, watching Charlie in action for what was probably the millionth time.

Only this time, he gazed upon his friend, not as the geeky math genius who was exceptionally good at Kendo. He saw before him a seasoned warrior who knew pain, a man who had been on the razor edge between life and death numerous times and somehow came out alive. Besides the warrior, Colby also saw an enigma behind a mask of simplicity. This raised many new questions that Colby was sure he was going to get answers for, one way or the other. For now, he watched his friend in all his graceful deadliness. Yes, deadliness, for if someone's that good with a wooden sword, what about a real one?

Two hours later, Colby followed Charlie into the locker-rooms like a man on a mission.

" Hey Colby, you wanna go grab a few drinks?" Asked Charlie suddenly, momentarily startling Colby once more. But the other man recovered quickly.

" How 'bout we go to my place?" Asked Colby, hoping fervently that his invitation would be accepted.

Charlie turned and gave his a smile that did nothing to erase the growing sadness behind his deep-brown eyes as he nodded in agreement. He then turned back to taking off his armor. Colby heaved a secret sigh of relief before he went to his own locker to change.

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were saying goodnight to the other guys and heading for Colby's Silver SUV. The drive to Colby's place was in semi-tense silence, with Colby stealing glances at his passenger and Charlie keeping his gaze firmly ahead.

When they reached Colby's apartment complex, they wordlessly got out and Charlie followed Colby inside. A silent elevator ride followed, then the two of them silently entered the apartment.

" Have a seat, I'll get us some beer." Said Colby, motioning towards the couch as he made his way to the kitchen.

Charlie obliged and took a seat on the well-worn piece of furniture and waited for his host to reasurface. He gave Colby a small smile when the other man returned withtwo bottles ofcold beer.

" Thanks."Said Charlie ashe took the bottle offered to him. Colby took the seat next to him and the two drank in silence, the tension was now thick enough to cut with aknife.

" Charlie, what the hell were you doing near a building that blew up, in Istanbul of all places? Asked Colby as he turned a hard gaze on his guest. He watched as Charlie shrugged and looked at him with faraway eyes.

_" It wasn't a building it was a car-bomb. Sorry for lying to you man."_ Thought Charlie before he spoke.

" I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, I was walking out of restaurant, me and a friend of mine in the army had just had dinner. Me and him, we were walking to his car when everything just went boom, all I can really remember is waking up afterwards when they were loading me into an ambulance, before the doors closed, I saw a military coroner's van, my friend didn't make it, I get away with a piece of metal lodged in my shoulder and a few bumps and bruises." Said Charlie quietly, watching the shock situate itself onto Colby's face.

What Charlie had said was true in that when the actual event, a car-bomb explosionhad happened, a fellow American named James Palmeri had been killed. Ghost had recieved his injuries when he'd tried to drag Palmeri out of there, but by then it was too late, they'd both been caught in the blast. A little stretching of the truth yet again.

After a few moments to find his voice, Colby spoke.

" What about the Bullet graze?" He asked.

" That, I got it when I was in Russia. They told me to stay in the car and like the idiot I sometimes am, I got out of the car. There were bullets flying everywhere, then I feel this searing hot pain in my right side. I get yanked and shoved back into a car and only after everythings over and done do I realize that Oh my God, I've been shot." Sighed Charlie as he took a long sip on his beer.

All of this new information so far left Colby's mind reeling. Just what the hell was a College Professor doing getting himself blown up, or shot, even nearly disembowled, he still hadn't gotten an explanation for that one.

" To answer your question about my near disembowlment, it happened while I was in Japan, I was just starting out on using a real sword. One of my fellow students thoughts it'd be fun to spar, knowing full well that I would'nt stand a chance. So we spar, I manage to block most of his attackes with what I'd learned so far. Then out of nowhere, he catches me across the gut. The last thing I remember is seeing red splashed across the floor, it was my own blood. Then everything goes black and I wake up in hospital. When I get back to the Dojo, the student who almost killed me had been expelled, I never told him that there were no hard feeling." Said Charlie as he set his now empty bottle of beer onto the coffee table infront of the couch where they sat.

The two men sat in silence for the better part of an eternity before Colby spoke.

"Does Don know?" He asked.

" The only person who knew up until now was our mother, she took these secrets to her grave. I could tell her almost anything, she'd understand. We both thought it best that my father and brother should remain clueless about just how dangerous my life really is. " Said Charlie with a tiny smile.

" Man, how the hell does a Math teacher end up almost getting disembowled, shot, and blown up?" Asked Colby, still in awe.

" Colby, let me ask you something. When you first met me, what did you think of me?" Countered Charlie witha question.

At this, Colby paused to think back to the case where the Judge's wife was murdered.

" I thought you were the annoying consultant who thought I was the bone-head new guy from Idaho." Answered Colby, smiling when Charlie chuckled brightly.

" Well, let me apologize for that, I never thought of you as the bone-head, I just got really used to explaining everything math to you guys at the FBI, but it's nice to know you were paying attention in math class." Smiled Charlie.

Colby nodded in agreement and waited for Charlie to continue.

" Colby, how many times has Don told you, Megan and David abouthow sheltered a childhood I had, and how bad I am at dealing with bad situations, that I'm just a kid in a grown-up world?" Asked Charlie withan amused look in his eyes.

Colby squirmed under the knowing gaze.

" Don would have to eat all those words if he knew the total number of men I've seen die. He thinks that his line of work makes life for me dangerous, but the truth is, riding in a car with any of you is a nice Sunday drive to the beach compared to some of the live-combat zones I've been to. Hell, I might have even driven by where you were stationed at in Khandahar." Said Charlie smirking mentally.

" Wait... You were in Khandahar?" Whispered Colby.

" Colby Granger, I've been all over the world, and I can think of several different times when I almost met my maker." Said Charlie as he leaned forward and held Colby's gaze with a hard stare of his own.

" I'm still alive, and contrary to what Don thinks, I know about how ugly this world really is, I know there will alway be war and death between men. But there will always be peace and life between men as well." Said Charlie, he couldtell that these words had shaken Colby to his very core.

" Charlie, why didn't you tell Don any of this?" Asked Colby, gazingback at his friend in awed respect.

At this Charlie diverted his gaze to his lap for a moment before he looked back at Colby.

" He doesn't need the extra anxiety for the next time I disappear and besides, if he knew he'd probably lock me in my own house and never let me see the light of day again, he'd be that scaredthat something might happen tome." Said Charlie quietly.

" And I'd appreciate it if this conversation remained just between you and me." He added.

The two men sat in thecharged silence a while before Colby spoke.

" You are just full of surprises Charlie Eppes." He said with a breathlessgrin.

" That I am Colby Granger... That I am." Smiled Charlie.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 14: The Call is Sounded, The Call is Heared, The Call is Obeyed.

It was a quiet afternoon at CalSci. Professor Charlie Eppes was sitting in his office going over notes and lesson plans. It had been a week since he'd spilled a few choice beans to Colby. True to his word, Colby had kept this new information to himself. The bond between Charlie and Colby had grown significantly, there was a new kinship between these two men. Truth be told, Charlie wasn't worried one bit about his other identity. Now, there was sure certainty that Don and his FBI team would never recognize the man behind the deadly Operative " Ghost", thanks to a "Voice Changer" device that would make even Ethan Hunt envious. The order had come in yesterday and would pair up nicely with the blue contacts he already had for his disguise behind a disguise.If the Big Three unit ever crossed paths withDonthe team, he'd could soundmore like Micheal Wincott, low and gravelly, perfect.

Charlie had just finished preparing a lesson when his cell-phone went off.

" Charlie Eppes seaking." Answered Charlie.

" Ghost." Came the voice that could stop the world, for three men in particular at least.

" Steele." Answered Ghost, all trace of an easy going college math professor erased in mere seconds.

" There's been an incident." Came the neutral voice of his commander.

" Have Mojave and Nighthawk been informed?" Asked Ghost as he walked over to one of the bookshelves and lifted up one of the sculptures, underneath which was a wideband platinum ring. He slipped it onto his right ring finger as he strode out of his office and down the hall towards the bike-racks.

" They're being picked up as we speak. Ghost, you halve half an hour to get your things together. And don't worry about encountering resistance, your house is empty. Just be ready when Toby comes around to pick you up." Said Steele before the line went dead.

Ghostheaved a sigh as he unlocked his bike and mounted it. Within seconds he was hastily on his way home. Within ten minutes he was riding up the driveway of his house. He quickly put his bike in the garage before hurrying into the house.

True to Steele's word, his father wasn't here. With no time to loose,Ghost bound up the stairs three at a time. He then calmly walked to his room and headed for the closet for his black duffle bag and handgun under the floorboards.

Once the gun was safely tucked away inside one of the side pockets of the duffle,Ghost went to his dresser and pulled out several t-shirts and three pairsof his favorite jeans. He crammed them into the bag before heading to the bathroom for the necessary items. Once they too were crammed into the bag, Ghost stripped off his beige suite jacket and white button-up shirt. In there stead, he pulled on a tight black t-shirt with a red Samurai outlined over the chest.

With a sigh,Ghost looked at his watch, he had less than fifteen minutes before pick-up. Ghost picked up his duffle and headed downstairs. When he reached the foyer, he stood before the door and sighed again in the silence.Ghost reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, he flicked it open and pressed a number of speed-dial and waited for an answer. Time to become Charlie for a few seconds

Ring... Ring... Ring...

" Eppes." Came the answer. Don.

" Hey Don, it's me." Answered Charlie, already feeling his throat tightening up.

" Hey buddy, what's up?" Asked Don.

" Don I... I don't have much time." Said Charlie.

" What are you talking about?" Asked Don in confusion.

" Listen, I'm disappearing again, I just wanted to call you before I go." Said Charlie quietly.

He was met with stunned silence before Don's voice rang out loudly.

"Charlie no, just stay there, I'm coming, you can't just leave like this... You can't!" Came the urgent, desperate voice.

" Don, by the time you get here,I'll be long gone. There's nothing you can do. Please don't worry about me, I'll be okay." Said Charlie, finding it more and more difficult to talk.

" Charlie..." Came the soft plea.

" I promise I'll come back Don... I love you, tell dad I love him too." Said Charlie, his voice barely above a whisper.

" Charlie... I love you too... just come back huh?" Said Don, Charlie knew his older brother was fighting back tears.

" I will... I always keep my promises. Good-bye Don." Whispered Charlie, clutching the strap of his bag tightly.

" Good-bye Charlie." Whispered Don.

With an immense effort, Charlie flipped off his phone and looked at his watch, less than five minutes till pickup.

From where he sat at his desk. Don heaved a sigh as the line went dead. He dropped his phone onto the desk and buried his face in his hands. It took all he had not to start screaming at the top of his lungs.

" Don, what's wrong?" Came a woman's voice, Megan. Don looked up to meet her concerned gaze.

" It's Charlie, He... He had disappear again. He just called to let me know. He's propbably gone by now" Said Don. Megan eyes the sadness that etched itself across her fellow agent's face and reached out to squeeze Don's shoulder.

" It's gonna be okay Don." She said quietly, though in the back of her head, she was scared that this time it might not be. Colby and David came over to see what was wrong and got thenews.

_" Be careful out there, where ever you go Whizkid."_ Thought Colby.

Meanwhile, back at Casa Eppes,Ghost heaved a sigh before walkingout the front door and heading for the black SUV that had pulled up infront of the house.

" Hey Finch." Said Ghost as he climbed into the back passenger seat.

" Hey Ghost, looks like we gotta save the World again." Smiled Toby.

" Yeah, what else is new?" Smiled Charlie, he then felt himself get drousy all of a sudden.

_" Why do they always have to knock us out?"_ Thought Charlie as he gave no resistance to the immenant darkness.

The SUV pulled away from the sidewalk and drove offto some secret place.

The Call was sounded, The Call was Heard, The Call was always Obeyed.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 15: Upgrade

With a small grumble, a pair of deep brown eyes fluttered open. Ghost took a moment to blink away the remnants of his induced slumber to realize he was in a car which had stopped and that the driver was a familiar blonde haired friend of his.

" Rise and shine Honey." Said Toby with a chuckle.

" Shut up Cabby." Grumbled Ghost, a smile tugging at his lips.

With a sigh, Ghost shouldered his bag and climbed out of the vehicle. He was met with the cool night air, he glanced at his watch and was mildly surprised, it read 11:30 PM, the pickup had been around 5:00 PM. That was seven and a half hours of driving to this place he stood before now, an old aircraft hanger out in the middle of a desert nowhere. He turned to Toby and the two of them headed inside the looming building, which was already swarming with military and CIA personel.

Ghost and Toby made their way over to the war-room table where a familiar face greeted them.

Commander Derek Steele stood up from where he sat and turned to greet his best Operative and one of his trusted CIA Agents.

" Did you have a nice nap Ghost?" Asked Steele with an innocentsmile.

" Very restful sir." Said Ghost flatly, though a smile tugged at his lips.

" Are Mojave and Nighthawk in yet?" Asked Ghost.

" Mojave got in five minutes before you and Nighthawk is well on his way." Said Steele as he motioned to a door at the very back of the hanger.

With a nod, Ghost walked off towards that direction, with the watchful eyes of both Steele and Toby following him as he went. Ghost reached the door and turned the knob. When the door swung open, Ghost let a smile grace his face when his gaze fell on Julio Vargas, who was currently conked out in one of the chairs in the room, mouth open and snoring to his hearts content.

Ghost slowly stalked his way over to his sleeping friend and leaned in until his lips were right by the latino's ear.

" Juliooooo, Come out to Plaayyyyy." Said Ghost, imitating the taunt of Luther fromThe Warriors in that same, eerie, soft voice, all he was missing now, was three beer bottles on his fingers.Ghost looked around the room and noticed the table adorned with several food items. Ghost went over and got a bottle of water,than moved so that he loomed over the sleeping man.

He allowed Julio a few more snores as he unscrewedthe bottle's cap. Then with a ceshire grin, Ghost upturned the bottle and allowed it's contents to spill out, all of it onto Julio Vargas's sleeping vasage.

" GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH...Cough!...Cough!...!"

Julio came to awareness with a yell and sputtering. He looked around disoriented until the sound of harty laughter caught his attention. His eyes widened when they fell on his leader, big CIA Operative rolling around on the floor holding his aching sides.

" I'M GONNA KILL YOU, YOU ASS!" Shrieked a well saturated Julio as he pounced on his still laughing companion and started trying to get him into a choke-hold. Ghost easily manuvered out of each attempt. The two of them were so engrossed in the situation, they didn't notice when the door opened and the final member of the Big Three stepped in.

" Woah, there is a lot of love in here." Came a very amused voice. Christian Wolfe.

" Hey Nighthawk." Said Ghost, with some difficulty seeing as to how Mojave had him pinned to the floor now.

" Hey hermano."Grinned Mojave as he got up and helped Ghost to his feet. The two other men walked over to the new arrival. Christian took one look at Mojave and turned to Ghost with a knowing look.

" Let me guess, Mariachi Man over here fell asleep again."

Ghost merely nodded, both he and Nighthawk holding back chuckles when Mojave gave them the one-finger salute before heading over to his stuff to get a dry shirt.

" How've you two been?" Asked Ghost as he took a seat in one of the chairs, Mojave and Nighthawk doing the same.

" Well, I got a promotion and am now head pastry Chef." Said Nighthawk.

" Congrats man." Smiled Ghost.

" Don't start getting fat now that you can get your hands on the best stuff now!" Snickered Mojave, earning a mock-glare from Nighthawk.

" What about you Mr. Narco-Cop?" Grinned Nighthawk.

" Well, not much has been going on, the usual bust hereand there but nothing big. I did take up rock-climbing though." Answered Mojave before he and Nighthawk turned to their leader with expectant looks on their faces.

" What about you oh fearless leader?" Croned Nighthawk.

Ghost shrugged before he spoke.

" Well, the only thing I can think of that's new is thatmy order for a Voice Changer came in. Other than that it's same old same old. Teach, work ontheories, help out the FBI, practice Kendo regularly,go to the shooting ranges tokeep up my accuracy, and just be." Answered Ghost.

Mojave was about to ask if he could seethis niftylittle gadget when the door opened to reveal Tobias Finch with a somewhat worried look on his face,

" Hey guys, the boss want all of you." Said Toby. The three Operatives got up and followed the blonde Agent back to the war-room table. When they got their, two new faces greeted them, a middle-aged African American woman and a thirty-ish white man with honey-blonde hair.

Steele greeted them and spoke.

" Guys, this is Dr.Nenna Ogdashloo and Dr. Alan Colbere. They will be assisting us in this new mission."

Ghost turned to look at the two Doctors and nodded silently, Mojave and Nighthawk doing the same.

" Gentlemen, please have a seat." Said Ogdashloo.

The three mendid as they were told and waited to be briefed about the situation.

" As you well know, you are the ellite CIA Unit out of all the other units. You have been called here today to see if we can give you an upgrade." Said Colbere.

" What do you have in mind." Asked Ghost in a neutral tone, though curiosity was aroused.

" Men,I have been informed by Intel that in eastern Ukraine, there is without a doubt,terrorist activity going on. Be advised this mission is far more dangerous and bigger than anything we've dealt with before. It's substancial enough that we have another unit going in with you." Said Steele. He was expecting at least one of them to object but was instead met with silence.

" Just as long as they know what their doing, were good." Drawled Nighthawk.

" Gentlemen, we have two months before we go in for extraction. In these two months, you will be introduced and expected to pass a new program that has been developed by these two esteemed Doctors." Said Steele.

" What may I ask, is this new program?" Asked Mojave.

" Torture Survival." Said Ogdashloo grimly.

Mojave and Nighthawk felt the forshadowing of what would be two months of pure hell. They turned to their leader. Ghost turned to meet their expectant gazes.

Nighthawk and Mojave felt chills of anticipation as they watch a slow, predatory smile spread across Ghost's face. The three of them turned and gave Ogdashloo and Colbere dazzeling smiles before Ghost spoke.

" Bring it on."

Ogdashloo and Colbere looked at each other a moment.

_" These guys really are crazy."_ They both thought.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 16: Bring On The Pain

Ghost couldn't recall what happened after the meeting with Ogdashloo and Colbere, only that they had gone back to the room when it was done. Then he'd felt a sharp sting at the back of his neck and everything went black.

Now, Ghost found himself coming back to consciousness with a groan. He took a moment to get his barings. He was on his back, on the floor of some kind of room, which was almost pitch black save for one light-bulb, and he didn't have a shirt on. Two individual groans also told him that Mojave and Nighthawk were in here with him.

_" Man, they weren't kidding when they said the program starts imediately."_ Thought Ghost flatly.

Ghost pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around until he could just make out the shapes of his two fellow operatives.

" Nighthawk, Mojave, Wake up!" He said loudly as he crawled over to the two other men and shook them none too gently.

" Hey lay off hermano." Whined Mojave.

" Where are we?" Asked a still groggy Nighthawk.

" You are in my classroom Gentlemen." Came a new voice. The three men looked up to see a very evil looking individual step into the light.

" What are you gonna teach us Sir?" Drawled Ghost.

" I will be teaching you boys how to survive the worst methods of tourture, and belive me, it will take all that you have not to crack once I start." Said the unknown man.

" By the way, I am Lieutenant Harry Oswald, but at the end of this program, you'll most likely be reffering to me using every single profanity from all the languages you were requires to learn when you first became Operatives." Said Oswald.

" What's first on the agenda?" Asked Mojave.

" Shock resistance." Said Oswald simply.

No sooner had these words been spoken, men clad in black materialized from the shadows and pounced on the three unarmed men.

Ghost struggled against his captors as they roughly shoved him into a chair of some kind and strapped him in tightly. From what he could tell, Mojave and Nighthawk were getting the same treatment.

" This is gonna hurt." Came a whisper from the darkness before Ghost felt the unearthly burn of a taser onto his naked flesh.

" OOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!" He yelled. But mercifully, the pain only lasted a few seconds.

Ghost winced when two more screams filled the air.

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"- Nighthawk.

" EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE MAAAAARRRRRRRIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAA!"- Mojave.

" It goes higher and longer from here on in. Try not to crack, see you infive hours." Came Oswald's voice before the three operatives heard a door open and close.

_" Terrific."_ Though Ghost as his unknown torturer moved in yet again.

" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Don Eppes almost dropped his mug of coffee as a searing hot pain spread across his chest.

" Don!" Asked Colby in concern as he gripped his fellow agent's arm, David and Megan also running up to him.

After a few seconds, the pain faded.

" I'm okay guys, I'm okay." Said Don.

" Don, what just happened?" Asked Megan as Don sat down at his desk.

" I don't know what that was, one second I'm having coffee, the next, it feels like my chest is on fire." Answered Don as he absently rubbed his chest, over his heart.

" Don, I think maybe you should see a doctor, it never hurts to be careful." Said Megan hopefully.

" Maybe I will, right now, let's get back to work." Said Don as he turned back to his computer. His team did the same and returned to their desks.

As he sat and typed on his keyboard, a pair of deep brown eyes flashed through Don's mind.

_" Charlie, where are you buddy?"_ He thought.

Maybe it was a small mercy that Don didn't know where Charlie was at this very moment, and just how much pain his baby brother was enduring.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS so don't sue me.

Chapter 17: The Phychological Torture Begins

After the first three hours, Ghost could hardly feel anything, the pain had become a dull burning sensation that reminded him of a hot bath for some reason. His yells had been reduced to small grunts, a good sign, he was getting used to the pain.

_" Just two more hours."_ Thought Ghost, letting out a small growl as he heard Mojave grunt somewhere behind him.

These two hours went by just as slowly filled with probably the worst of the pain, because the shocks were set to the highest setting, which so happened to be well beyond what a normal human being could stand.

" Rise and shine ladies." Came a very amused voice once the shocks stopped. Oswald.

" Hey lieutenant." Drawled Ghost.

" How you boys feelin?" Asked Oswald, his tone friendly and happy, which made the three men strapped to an individual chair want to attack him with nothing but their nails and teeth.

" Getting bored here, sir." Smirked Nighthawk in the darkness, Mojave chuckled dryly at the comment.

" I'm glad to here it, because now, we move on to the next course." Said Oswald.

Ghost, Mojave, and Nighthawk felt themselves being unstrapped and roughly yanked to there feet and dragged away in three different direction. This next course was going to involve isolation.

" Don't you guys dare crack on me!" Yelled Ghost.

" No worries hermano!" Came Mojave's yell.

" See you in a few." Yelled Nighthawk before they heard a door slam, then another, and finally, the door Ghost had been dragged through slammed shut.

Ghost found himself walking down a long corridor with a light at the very end. He was flanked by two guys, who were all in black from what he could tell.

" By the way... did you enjoy yourself poking me with that taser Toby?" He asked, causing the guy on his left to stop dead in his tracks. But he quickly started moving again.

" They decided to torture me too, just in a different way." Sighed Toby.

" Hey man, no hard feelings, who better to make you stronger than your friend." Said Ghost as they neared the light, which revealeda stark, white room with a chair and table in it, on the table was a projector of some kind.

" Thanks man and... don't crack on me either." Said Toby before he and the other guy roughly shoved Ghost into the room and shut the door.

Ghost stumbled but caught himself, he stood inside the room, shirtless and with multiple taser burns marring his chest and torso. The fact that this room was air-condition to just below a freezer didn't help.

" Mr. Eppes, have a seat." Came a pleasant, female voice. Ghost turned to see a pretty young woman with sapphire blue eyes and ebony black hair, standing in a corner wearing a lab coat. Silently, though without taking his eyes off the woman, Ghost made his way over to the chair, which too had leather straps on it, and sat down.

" Welcome to the second stage of this Tourture Survival Program, I'm Dr. Karen Le Dova." Smiled the doctor.

" So, what pain are you going to dole out Dr. Le Dova?" Asked Ghost.

" Oh, a little pychological torture, nothing you can't handle." Smiled the Dr.

" Thanks for the vote of confidence." Muttered Ghost flatly as Karen strapped him into the chair.

In two identical room, Mojave and Nighthawk were having the same done to them.

Then, the lights went out and all was dark once again.

Then, a solitary beam on light erupted from beside Ghost. The projector.

Ghost felt a momentary pang when his eyes fell on the image that was being projected.

" Who is this individual Mr. Eppes?" Came Le Dova's voice.

" That individual is FBI Agent Donald Eppes, my older brother, an may I please be reffered to by my Codename Doc?" Asked Ghost in a neutral voice.

" Alright, tell me Ghost, are you and your brother close?" Asked Le Dova.

" Yes, we're close enough." Answered Ghost, he knew that the only way out of this session was to not cry, to not let any emotion get the better of him.

" What would happen to your relationship if he found out what you really do for a living?" Asked Le Dova.

" I honestly don't know." Answered Ghost.

" What do you think will happen?" Asked Le Dova.

" He'd probably hate me." Answered Ghost emotionlessly.

" You say that so easily, why?" Asked Le Dova.

" Cause that is one likely outcome, once he finds that I'm a CIA Operative with the blood of many on my hands well, his assumptions about me will change to say the least." Answered Ghost simply.

" If it comes down to it, would you kill your own brother to protect the identity of yourself and of your unit?" Asked Le Dova.

This question was met with silence. Karen was hoping that she'd gotten Ghost with a questionhe couldn't give an answerto.

All hope of a first triumph faded instantly with the single word that left Ghost's mouth.

" Yes"

Though his expression and voice remained neutral, inside, Charlie was screaming.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 18: Trinity That Would Not Break and Some Intrigueing Results

The torture had continued well past four hours, Le Dova had shown Ghost pictures of his loved ones and asked him question about each of them, and how they would react if they ever found out the truth. The last image had been Colby Granger.

_" If she keeps this up, I wont crack from pressure, I'll die of boredom."_ Though Ghost as he answered the same question yet again.

Then came a new question.

" Who are you Ghost?" Asked Le Dova grimly. She was getting desperate, this guy was amazing. He answered every question, all of them being impossible for any other person other than a highly trained individual to answer. Ghost had answered every question with the same aloofness and nonchalance, and to be quiet honest, it was getting creepy.

Karen Le Dova felt a chill of awe run down her spine when Ghost turned to look her directly in the eye, the dim light of the projector giving stark contrast to his pale face.

The almost black pools stared back at the doctor with a fire that would only go out once the owner of these eyes ceased to breathe.

" My name is Charles Edward Eppes AKA Ghost. I am a professor of applied mathematics at CalSci University and a paid Consultant for the FBI and other National Security agencies throughout the globe. I am also Ghost, one of three of the best Operatives in the CIA, leader of the Big Three Unit. Yes, I have killed more men than even I can count, I can live with that. I serve my country and keep all that I love safe, even at the cost of my own soul. Now that you know all this, know that I will never break, not to you and not to anybody else in the event that I am captured, I cannot afford to. Do me a favor, buzz off because though you are a very lovely looking creature, you're starting to annoy me." Said Ghost, though his tone was as flat and nonchalant as when this session had begun, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Dr. Karen Le Dova prided herself on having nerves of steel, it was required for this program. Now, all she felt was cold fear as she stared into the two bottomless pools of the darkest brown, almost black, belonging to the man she was supposed to be breaking, instead all she was doing was ensuring nightmares for herself when she went to bed that night.

From behind a two way mirror overlooking the entire room, Derek Steele felt a surge of pride and mild relief. Mojave and Nighthawk had given their torturers almost the exact same answer, along with their own methods of striking fear into their captors. Nighthawk had given his captor a beaming smile that had caused the man to back away a few steps. Mojave had started laughing, the sound echoing off the walls, increasing its volume. The poor woman in there with him looked ready to bawl her eyes out.

_" I love these guys."_ Though Steele as he turned to a very pleased looking Oswald.

"Your guys are stubborn sons of bitches, most of our other participants cracked after the first hour, your guys stuck by for the entire four and then some." Smirked Oswald.

" Yeah, but don't let them here you say that they're sons a bitches, these guys love their mommas and don't like anyone dissing them." Said Steele.

" I'll keep that in mind." Grinned Oswald as he and Steele left the tiny room they were in. The two higher ups walked into another room which had three polygraph machines and three techs tending to them.

" So, what is the verdict?" Asked Oswald.

" Mojave and Nighthawk both had minor spikes for two questions asked, both forwhether or not they could kill their own family members. Ghost on the other hand... that guy's not human, he had no spike in anything what so ever, in some places, there was barely any activity for the machine to register. This guy did not crack whatsoever, even after four hours, not even a little." Reported one of the techs.

" Well, he isn't one of the best for nothing." Said Steele dead-pan.

" I like him even more now." Grinned Oswald.

Meanwhile, in their interrogation rooms, Mojave and Nighthawk had one thing on their mind. Ghost, how did their leader hold up? Did he break? Were the question too much, even for him? Was he gonna be alright?

In his room, Ghost sat silent in his chair, focusing on his breathing so that he wouldn't go ballistic and tear every nearest object, both inanimate or alive, to shreds. The truth was, deep down inside, Ghost was enraged, but thankfully, years of training and finding inner calm saved him.

Now, all he could do was wait for the next course, and hope that his team would be alright.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 19: What Nightmares May Come and The Torture Ends

_Don Eppes found himself surrounded by darkness as he walked down a corridor of some kind. He saw a faint, eerrie blue light shimering in the distance. Don, though confused walked towards the light. _

_When he reached it, the light turned white and flashed across his vision, momentarily blinding him.When his vision cleared,Don found himself standing on the roof top of the FBI Offices he worked at. _

_" Why am I here?" Thought Don as he looked around the deserted area, his confusion mounting until a soft moan of pain caught his attention, it came from somwhere behind him. _

_Don turned sharply and saw something in the shadows. He couldn't make it out._

_" Hello, is somebody there?" Called out Don._

_As if in answer, furious, red and orange flames erupted from the concret ceiling, rising up like a wall. Don was knocked off his feet by the flames. When they died down in their intensity, Don felt his eyes grow wide in horror._

_The flames illuminated the figure in the darkness, giving a face to the disembodied moan._

_Charlie, his beloved Charlie. _

_His baby brother stoodchained from a stone pillar. He had no shirt on, revealing a body marred with bleeding cuts and bruises. Charlie head hung low, his curls obscuring his face as he gasped for each breath. _

_" CHARLIE!" Screamed Don as he ran forward, only to have the wall of flames drive him back. _

_" CHARLIE!" Screamed Don again. _

_Charlie let out a soft moan and seemed to come to. He lifted up his head and look up with pain filled eyes, directly into Don's eye. _

_" Donnie." Moaned Charlie as he struggled feebly against his bonds, let out small noises of pain at the movement. _

_" DON'T WORRY BUDDY, I'LL GET YOU OUT OF THERE, JUST HOLD ON!" Screamed Don as he tried once again to get over the flames. _

_Then out of nowhere, a beam of searing white light seemed to shoot downfrom the night sky, bombarding the figure chained to the pillar. _

_Don sheilded his eyes against the light, trying desperately to get to his brother. _

_Don watched as Charlie's face screwed up tighly as his mouth opened as an unearthly scream of sheer agony erupted from his throat. _

_" GGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" _

_Don watched in unspeakable horror and his brother began literally burning to ash before him. It was like Sonja burned by the light of the sun, with Lucian watching, helpless to do anything. Straight out of the first Underworld movie. _

_" CHARLIE! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Don, tears pouring out of his eyesas he watched Charlie slowly dying in this hideous way. _

_Suddenly, the wall of flames erupted again,burying the image of Charlie slowly being burned to dust behind a curtain of fire. _

_Then, as quickly as the flames and flared up, they disappeared to reveal a lone figure,dressed all in black, with pale blue eyes staring coldy back at him.The hilt of a Samurai sword jutting from it's place across the figures back_

_It was the CIA Operative who'd struck fear in Don and his fellow FBI Agent with mere words and promises. _

_The Operative's gaze seemed to stare straight into Don's soul as he lay kneeling and crying at what he'd just witnessed. _

_Terror froze Don to the spot as the CIA Operative slowly stepped forward, coming to loom over him, staring down at himindifferently. _

_" Looks like you couldn't save that precious babybrother of yours." Came a cold, gravelly voice. _

_Then the Operative lashed out and roughly gripped Don's chin, forcing the man to look at him. _

_The two were eye to eye before the Operative spoke the words that Don Eppes was always afraid to hear. _

_" You killed him Don, you killed your precious Charlie. You let him DIE!" _

_Don shook his head furiouslyand trembled all over. Before he screamed._

_" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" _

Don awoke with a scream in his apartment and threw off the sweat covered sheets as he bolted from the bed.

He dashed to the bathroom and made it in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. Once he couldn't throw up anything else, he shakily got to his feet and slumped over the sink, panting as he felt himself go numb. With trembling hands, Don turned on the cold water and splashed some of the cold liquid onto his face. He gazed at himself in the mirror through the dim light of the early morning, he was pale, shivering, and above all, haunted by the visions he'd just awoken from. With a thick swallow, Don stumbled his way back down the hall to his bedroom.

He knew full well that he wouldn't go back to sleep. Instead, he walked blindly to a corner of the room and slammed his back to the wall before sliding down to sit on the floor as violent sobs started wracking his body and tears of torment and agony spilled from his eyes.

Don Eppes, the hard as nails FBI Agent, was crying because of a nightmare he'd seen.

He'd watched his beloved Charlie turn to ash before his eyes, and then a stone cold killer had told him that it was all his fault.

It had been a full month since Charlie disappeared again, and there was no way of knowing whether or not he was alright.

Don Eppes, was terrified for his baby brother.

Don Eppes, was now terrified of a pale eyed man in black.

Meanwhile, in a classified area somewhere in Europe...

_" This stinks."_ Thought Ghost with a mental roll of his eyes as the tear gas filled the room. This was the fifth time they were being gased. It had only taken them that many times to grow accustomed to the unpleasant feeling the gass induced.

This torture would last for an hour before the three operatives, who were shirtless,would be unstrapped from their chairs and taken to the showers to cleanse the burn.

Throughout this hour of, Ghost closed his eyes and cleared his mind of all thought. He chose to retreat to the deepest corners of his vast mind. The pain would not get the better of him, ever.

Time seemed to slow until finally, Ghost felt himself being unstrapped from the chair he was in and dragging him down a corridor.

Then the welcome feeling of ice-cold water raining on him.

Ghost stood under the water, revelling in the feeling. He tilted his head back at allowed the water to pelt his irritated face.

After a few more minutes of letting the water flush out the irritants, the water was shut off and somebody handed him a towel.

" Thanks Toby."Said Ghost gruffly.

Toby felt an involuntary shudder run down his spine as he stepped back after handing his friend the towel.

" C'mon, the others are waiting." Said Toby quietly as he tugged at Ghost's naked arm.

Ghost walked on his own accord beside Toby and the other guy as they made there way down another dark corridor, a dim light at the end of the tunnel.

When the three men reached the light, Ghost was roughly shoved into the white room.

" Ah Ghost, glad you finally made it." Came the now very irritatingly amused voice of one Lt. Harry Oswald.

Ghost looked through slightly blurry eyes as just made out the forms of Nighthawk and Mojave.

" Hey guys." Said Ghost gruffly.

" Hey hermano." Said Mojave tiredly.

" Hey man, how you doin?" Asked Nighthawk in true New Yorker style.

" All three of you should be feeling great, seeing as to how you passed all seven levels of the program with flying colors." Smiled Oswald.

The three operatives stared back at Oswald stunned for a moment before they felt warmth spread all over them.

They passed the program, it was over now. However, the three men remained absolutely silent.

Ghost stepped forward and held out a hand to Oswald, who accepted it. The Lt. held back wince when the Operative squeezed his hand a little tighter than was need.

" We free to go?" Asked Ghost as he let go of Oswald's hand.

" You get a few weeks to recuperate, than it's back to work." Came a new but familiar voice.

Derek Steele, commander of the Big Three Unit.

" Wouldn't have it any other way sir." Smiled Ghost as he and his unit, Toby included, were excorted out of the building to the waiting car.

" By the way Boss, we're in Russia aren't we?" Asked Ghost as his teamgot into the car, Toby driving.

Derek Steele's stunned silence was confirmation enough.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 20: Choice of Recovery and Remembering Words from the Past

Ghost let out a sigh as he stood in the training room, Samurai sword in hand, poised for action. He was waiting for the machine to shoot out his first clay target. Unlike his two fellow operatives who were recuperating by sleeping their heads off, Ghost's choice of recovery was training.

The first clay disc came shooting out to the left, with inhuman speed, Ghost's samuari sword sliced it in half before it hit the wall and crumbled to pieces.

And so, for the better part of two hours, Ghost spent his time destroying flying clay disc in rapid succession either with his sword or with his fists and legs. They were in Russia and the plan was to sneak into Ukrainian land by means of the underground.

It had been a few days since they had all passed the Torture Survival Program. The taser burns and numerous bruises and cuts were healing up nicely, not that Ghost really worried about them, they were a minor annoyance.

" You're gonna work yourself into an early grave you know." Came a familiar female voice.

" Thank's for your concern Mikaila." Said Ghost with a small smile as he turned to see Mikaila Gordon standing in the doorway.

She looked as beautiful as always, warm caramel skin, deep hazel eyes, and her long african braided hair tied in a loose pony-tail. She had on a black tank-top and sweats, she looked ready for a workout. An added bonus, she had a sheathed Samuari sword in her hand.

" Mind if I join you?" She asked with a smile.

"Help yourself." Said Ghost as he got ready for the next volley of targets.

Mikaila quickly stood next to the seasoned CIA Operative and unsheathed her sword just in time to knock away a clay disc that was careening towards her.

And so, the twooperatives hacked away at the clay targets that bomarded them. Mikaila took secret glances at the man beside her. Ghost body moved gracefully as he twirled his sword, or unleashed his fist, or a barrage of kicks at the targets, taking out every single one that came his way.

" This is getting boring." Growled Ghost once the barrage had ended and the machine beeped, signaling that it was out of clay ammunition.

A calculating gleam filled Mikaila's eyes as she thought of a way to spice things up.

" Heads up!"Cried Mikaila as she lashed out at the man beside her with her sword. Ghost had been anticipating this move and easily blocked the attack.

Ghost felta tiny quirk of his lips as Mikaila attcked him again and he easily blocked that attack as well.

And so the sparring started. Mikaila was an excellent sword fighter but she knew all too well that she didn't stand a ghost of a chance against her opponent.

After Ghost had blocked the last attack from Mikaila, he unleashed his own furious barrage of slashes, jabs, cuts, and several other moves. Mikaila let out a tiny yelp as she was forced backwards until he back hit the wall.

Ghost smiled before he lashed out with his sword and sent Mikaila's blade flying, the blade imbedded inself into the far wall. Mikaila found herself pinned with a gleaming Samurai sword dangerously close to her jugular.

" Nice tryMiki." Smiled Ghost before he withdrew his blade from where itwas poised for a killing blow.

The mocking way Ghost had said these words made somwthing inside Mikaila snap. She glared at Ghost as the curly haired man turned to leave, sheathing hissword. He stepped away, aking for the training room door.

Mikaila seized her chance and scampered across the room towrench her sword out of the wall and then barreled towards Ghost.

" Yaaahhh!" Screamed Mikaila as she lunged at Ghost, ready to slash into the man.

Mikaila's blade made a deadly arch as it closed in on it's target.

Ghost suddenly turned, his sword still sheathed. The CIA Operative merely stepped to the side, Mikaila's blade missing him by a hair. Ghost smirked as he lashed out with a single hand, coming down to knock Mikaila's sword outof her hand once more, this time using a viscious judo chop to her arm.

Mikaila's sword was sent crashing to the floor and Mikaila found herself staring at Ghost with wide eyes as Ghost tightened the hold he had around her throat. Mikaila was in deeper awe at just how fast this man had disarmed her and subdued her, all in a matter of seconds. She was now at Ghost's mercy, she knew full well that he could snap her neck witha mere flick of his wrist if he wanted to, he was that powerful.

Mikaila felt the tiniest tendrils of fear as she gazed into Ghost's bottomless pits for eyes, what she sawscared her, theyfilled with amusement and aloofness.

" Like I said, nice try but please, don't attack using the cowards way, you're better than that Miki." Said Ghost, his voice devoid of allemotion as he released his hold around the woman's throat and wordlessly walked away, leaving Mikaila both stunned and ashamed of her own weakness.

As she stood there alone with only the sound of her own breath keeping her company, a far off memory flashed across her mind. Ghost's voice echoed through her mind.

_" Remember my beautiful friend, we are CIA, we can't afford to get angry or scared, it's the difference between life and death. One more thing, don't ever attack me from behind, there's a good chance you'll end up dead."_

Mikaila hung her head at these words ringing through her mind.

" I'm sorry Ghost." She whispered to air.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 21: Work as Usual

It was a very cold night over Ukraine, the sky was clear with the stars twinkling down at the earth from the place in the heavens.

In the still waters of the Black sea,two sleek and powerful speed boats slowly pulled up about a mile from the Ukrainian costline.

" Hey, how cold is the water again?" Asked Mojave as he pulled on his scuba mask, beside him were Nighthawk and the leaderof the Big Three unit, Ghost.

" How many times are you gonna ask me that?" Asked Toby fron where he stood at the helm of thepowerful boat they were on. In the other Speeder was the second CIA Unit, four individuals headed by one Mikaila Gordon.

" Mojave, I will say this once and only once, the waterit is cold as Hell, but it's nothing we can't handle. Plus, you aren't gonna chicken out of me are you?" Asked Ghost as he turned to his fellow operative with a quirked eyebrow behind his mask. The three of them had on skin-tight, thermal control wet-suites. These were the newset in the line of scuba gear and would make the near zero degree temperature of the Black sea waters seem more like the waters of Miami Florida.

Mojave was stunned for a second before he indignantly replied to his leader's taunt.

" You know full well I'm in this for the long haul Hermano." He grumbled.

" I know, I'm just playing with your psyche." Said Ghost with a small grin as he looked at his waterproof digital watch. It was exactly half an hour to 11:00 PM.

Ghost turned to his two operatives and gave them a look, the two of them nodded, knowing exactly what it mean as they watched their leaded bring a hand to his ear to talk into the comm-link.

"Yo Miki, you there?"

"Yeah Ghost, I'm here. What's up?"

"It's showtime." Growled Ghost, ready for another taste of blood from the veins of the wicked.

" Copy that. See ya when we reach the cavern." Said Mikaila before the link went dead.

Ghost turned to his operatives and nodded before he stepped onto the edge of the boats sleek body and then dived into the black waters headfirst. Another new piece of gear was the extra light air-tank that was strapped to all of the CIA operatives backs.

With a quick nod to Toby, Nighthawk and Mojave followed their leader, diving head first into the black abyss of water.

They both switched on the Night-Vision feature of their scuba masks and followed in the green spectre-like form of their leader a few strides ahead of them.

There were four other splashes behind them as Mikaila and her operatives joined them. All the other operatives followed in Ghost wake as he led them to the cavern that had all of their combat gear and a way into the underground layer where he nuclear warheads were stored and gaurded by what was probably the biggest number of arms terrorists that that Big Three Unit would face up to date.

Ghost was like a shark as he gracefully propelled himself through the black water like he had been living in it all his live, when in actuallity, it had only been two days since he'd swam to the cavern for the first time. It had taken him only a few hours to master the path to the cavern but, being the operative that he was, he had kept swiming back and forth from the cavern to the spot where the boats had pulled up to tonight, all the while keeping himself safe and sound by not going over the limit when it came to scub-diving.

Through the green of his underwater night-vision, Ghostcould see the entrance of the cavern. He paused and floated in the water, waiting for the other six operatives to catch up to him. He them made a hand signal, telling them they were here and then to follow him single file. Ghost propelled himself downwards to the gapping hole in the rock, behind him wasNighthawk, then Mojave, Mikaila, and the other three operatives, Palmer, Branders, and Taylor.

The tunnel to the cavern was fairly short, Ghost glided through the water, making his way to the simmeringcolumn of lighta few feet away, the entrance to the cave where the combat gear had been carefully stored.

With a final push, Ghost's head shot through the service of the now dark blue water, illuminated by the lighting that had been set up by Ghost himself.

Wasting no time, Ghost climbed out of the water and pulled off his flippers. He then stood before the hole and helped Nighthawk, Mojave, Mikaila, Palmer, Branders, and Taylor out of the water. The leader of the Big Three them pointed each member of the assault team to there seperate bag of gear and weapons before he hurried off to his own bag where his combat gear and swords and other favorite weaponswere waiting.

It was just another night on the job.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 22: No Mercy For the Wicked Not Even For One

Mikaila looked up from the gun and holster she'd just strapped to her thigh in time to see the small gleam of shiny, sharp, Japanese steel as Ghost gracefully sheathed the deadly weapon into the scabard strapped across his back.

Ghost was already done putting on all of his combat gear save for one thing, his mask. Mikaila watched silently as the leader of the Big Three Unit pulled all of his chaotically curly hair to the back of his head, using a plain black hairband to tie it all into a tight ponytail, revealing the Japanese Character tattooed on the back of his neck. Mikaila would have continued in her staring when Ghost abrubtly turned around and looked straight at her with those almost black eyes. Mikaila felt her insides turn to ice as those eyes seemed to stare right into her soul once again. Then something flashed inside the deep brown depths that seemed to say

" Hey, snap out of it, we got a job to do."

Mikaila ducked her head and continued to hurriedly put on the rest of her gear, all the while almost feeling Ghost's eyes on her.

A few minutes later, seven deadly CIA Operatives stood ready for what was to be a very long day at the office.

Six of these operatives were staring expectedly at the Operative standing infront of them.

Ghost turned to his six fellow operatives and gave them all a knowing look.

" Our orders are to secure the warheads and disarm them before extraction. We take out any and all opposition." Said Ghost.

The other Operatives nodded.

" Mikaila, you and your team are to wait for our signal once we've cleared the bottom level for you before you are to disarm the Nucs. But while you wait, you and your guys secure all exits and means of escape, take out the guards andanyone who tries to run or somehowgets past the three of us once we take out the lights." Said Ghost authoritively.

Mikaila nodded and then turned to her team.

" Let's go lock the doors." Said Mikaila as she and her team headed to one of the tunnel opening parallel to the one the Big Three were going to use to get into the main area of the underground complex.

Beforeshe followed her throughthis opening, Mikail paused and looked back at thethree remaining Operatives.

" Hey you three!" She called out, Ghost, Nighthawk, and Mojave turned to acknowledge her.

" Keep yourselves alive will you." She said, feeling a little sheepish. She hide a smile as she watched a smiled grace Ghost's face.

" We will, you do the same Miki. Now go." Said Ghost before he pulled his mask over his face, Nighthawk and Mojave doing the same. With a nod, Mikaila pulled on her own mask and then followed her men down the tunnel.

Ghost watched her go before he turned to his men.

" No Mercy, not even for one." Growled Ghost.

" No Mercy." Said Mojave with a nod.

" No Mercy." Echoed Nighthawk.

With a small breath, Ghost turned and headed deeper into the cave, disappearing into the darkness with Moajve and Nighthawk following.

As he walked across the rocky floor of the cave, Ghost could feel the bloodlust slowly begin to course through his veins.

He wanted blood, and he would be getting a huge helping of it by the time the sun rose over Ukraine.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 23: Three Spectres of Death

Ghost led his two men deeper into the cavern, about a hundred paces before he turned.

" Nighthawk, do your thing." Growled Ghost as he stepped aside.

Nighthawk smiled behind his mask and nightvision goggled as he obeyed his leader. As he slinked closer to where Ghost was standing, he could see what Ghost meant. There before them was a series of black cords that led deeper into the cave. These black cords were the main powerlines to the underground layer. While Nighthawk was busy examining the wires, Ghost pressed a button for the comm-link.

" Hey Miki, do you read me?" He growled.

" Loud and clear Ghost." Came the light, female voice.

" You ready with the exits?" Asked Ghost.

" All four doors are secure, and we'll be ready when the bullets start flying." Answered Mikaila.

" Good to know, Nighthawk's gonna be cutting the main powerlines shortly, Be ready when things go dark." Said Ghost.

" Affirmative. over and out." Said Mikaila before the link was severed.

" I love that girl." Grinned Mojave, naturally impeeding on the conversation because they were all on the same frequency.

" Don't we all." Grumbled Ghost as he watched as Nighthawk pulled out a huge army daggar. Ghost and Mojave felt eager anticipation as Nighthawk picked up the first thick cable and sliced through it like butter. The results were instantaneous as the sound of startled and alarmed voices echoed through the cave.

" That takes out one floor, now the other two." Smirked Nighthawk as he quickly made that task done. Now there was a plethora of alarmed voices as the underground layer was consumed by darkness.

" Alright you guys, lets do this. Nighthawk, you take the first floor, blow it to bits if it suites you. Mojave, you take the second floor and obtain all computer data that you can from the main computer, which runs on a fourth powerline inside the lair. Asfor me, I take the third floor and secure the warheads for disarmorment." Said Ghost, through his Night-vision goggles, he saw his fellow operatives nodded in agreement.

Then Ghost turned and ran deeper into the cave, Nighthawk and Mojave right behind him.

" P.S.We use the element of surprise to our advantage, use silencers on your guns once everything goes boom. Kill eveything that moves." Growled Ghost into his comm-link as he and his team decended like the spectres of death ontheir new victims.

After about fifty paces, the Big Three unite split up into three seperate directions. Nightahwk leaped into the air and caught the metal ladder step jutting from a hole in theceiling, this would lead him to the first floor. Mojave veered harply to the right, down a tunnel that would lead him to the second floor, and the main computer. This left Ghost to run alone, growing closer and closer to his target, the third and most heavily guarded floor.

There were upwards of maybe a hundred men for that floor alone. No problem for Ghost, he'd start counting back from one hundred with each life he took.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 24: Warrior Bathed in Blood

Ghost stopped running and stood at the end of the tunnel, which overlooked the glass roof of the underground lair they had just infiltrated. With his nightvision, Ghost could see the little green figures scrambling obliviously under his bloodthirsty gaze. With a predatory grin behind his mask, Ghost kneeled and gracefully climbed down from the tunnel mouth and onto the glass roof, carefully spreading his weight evenly across the glass panes, which were thankfully thick.

A sudden band in the distance made Ghost's smile widen, Mojave was bound to be having a blast.

Ghost reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out a seeminglysmall device with three suction cups and flimsy looking blade. Ghost pressed the suction cups firmly onto the glass. He then gripped the top of the downward pointing blade and pulled, revealing a thin, T.V. antenna-like extending arm. With practiced skill, Ghost extended the arm to the right length and them firmly pressed the pointed blade into the glass, the tip sinking into the glass as though it were butter. With a steady hand, Ghost pulled the blade in a circumferance that was wide enough for him to fit through, the blade cutting through the glass with no trouble at all.

Catwoman would be proud.

Once he'd gone fully around, Ghost pressed the suction cups into the glass just to make sure they were securely in place, he then pulled the glass cutter up, smiling as a perfect circular disc of glass came with it. Ghost gently set the glass disc aside and then released a deep breath.

_" I promise I'll come home, Don, Dad."_ Thought Ghost before he dove in through the hole head first.

With ninja-like grace, Ghost flipped his body and laned soundlessly on his feet amidst the panic stricken terrorists who's lives he would end one by one.

With a smirk, Ghost quickly backed up against the wall, just in time to avoid colliding with victiom number 100. The smirk left Ghost's face as, instead of unsheathing his sword, Ghost pulled out a 9mm Revolver from his hip holster and quickly screwed on a silencer before taking careful aim at his target, who was about to headed back the way he came, unknowing running towards his own death.

The man had enough time to yell something out in his Ukrainian language before a muted bullet enter his brain, right between the eyes. The man fell in a crumpled heep on the floor under Ghost's indifferent gaze. Ghost, being fluent in the language, knewthe man had said that everything was all clear, yeah right.

100...

Then, more voices and the sound of multiple foot-falls came from down the hall.

_Hans, are you alright, where are you? _Came another man's voice. Ghost remained silent from his hidding place as he watched his next six victims come unbenounced to their doom.

99... 98... 97... 96... 95... 94...

Meanwhile, on the top floor, Nighthawk let loose a barrage of his most deadly gas grenades. With his gas mask on, Nighthawk stayed away from the gas and watched it do it's deadly work as one by one, men began to fall dead to the floor. This would cut down some but not all the men, that's were the grenades with real firepower came in. Nighthawk patiently waited for the gas to discipate before he ran through the hallway now congested with corpses and soon to be corpses, pulling out one of these grenades as he went. He would make his way over to where most of the remaining men were and blow them to Kingdom Come.

On the second level, Mojave was following his leader's example of stealth. With two silencer endowed revolvers, Mojave was shooting and slithering his way to the main computer room. The shadows were always a CIA Operatives friend, next to his or her fellow Operative. Mojave was showing off his marksmen skills at it's best, taking out unsuspecting man after man with kill-shot after kill-shot, each of his bullets entering a man's brain and ending life instantly.

64... 63... 62... 61... 60... 59... 58... 57... 56... 55... 54... 53... 52... 51...

With a low growl, Ghost buried the tip of his sword into his 50th victim, yet againfeeling something warm and wet splatter against the lower half of his combat clad body.He watched as the man he'd just killed slid to the floor in a lifeless heap. The hallway was littered with bodies and the single means of escape, the elevator shaft had been reduced to a mangles mess of smoking metal thanks to one of Ghost own high-powered grenades.

" Fifty down, fifty to go." Thought Ghost, the need to feel more blood splatter onto him becoming almost to much to take. But Ghost quickly reigned in the tendrils of his rage, remembering that this wasn't about the slaughter, it was about stopping a terrorist ground from set off nuclear warheads at any target, mainly, the United States of America.

With a growl, Ghost took off running down the hall, looking for who would become victim number 49.

At the four exits, two on each of the upper floors, Mikaila and her men were shooting at all of the souls lucky enough to get past either Mojave or Nighthawk. As she took out straggler after straggler, Mikaila took a spilt second to wonder how Ghost was holding up, the leader of the Big Three had taken the toughest floor with the greatest number of opposition, she could only hope that he was alright.

Ghost let out a low growl as he found his newest victims. Feeling savage joy as he spilled more blood, bathing in it. Charlie Eppes was not was not Charlie Eppes now, now was Ghost, a CIA Operative with a thirst for the crimson that was not going to be quenched until he reached the final kill on his countdown, kill number 1.

49... 48... 47... 46... 45... 44... 43... 42... 41... 40... 39... 38... 37... 36... 35... 34... 33... 32... 31...


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 25: Numero Uno And the Job that Still Needs to Be Done

Mojave looked around at his work, all who were on this floor were dead or soon to be falling into the hands of Mikaila Gordon and her men. Still alert to any new threat that might come his way, Mojave entered the main computer room, where there was a stockpile of valuable information that he had the task of retrieving and securing. As he took a wary seat infront of the computer, Mojave decided to check in on his fellow operatives.

" Hey Nighthawk, you there?" He asked into the line. There was static on the other end before Nighthawk's voice cracked across the line.

" Mojave, you in the computer room?" He asked.

" Yeah, I just sat down, I'm loading in the transfer discs as we speak. How are things with you up there of the first floor?" Asked Mojave.

" My floor is clear and silent, all my baddies are dead and dying, how 'bout you?" Drawled Nighthawk.

" Same here, most are sporting a third eye, the rest were taken out by Palmer and Branders. Any word from Ghost?" Asked Mojave.

" Nada, nothing from him, I guess we just stay put, pass the time and wait for the word." Sighed Nighthawk.

Meanwhile...

Victim number 23 let out a painful scream of death as Ghost sliced him in half, the deadly sword slicing through his mid-drift.

77 men already on their way to whatever afterlife they had earned.

23 men left to die by the hands of a cold and relentless Operative of the CIA.

Ghost had barely even broken a sweat, adrenaline still coursing through his veins as he zeroed in on the now terrified voices of is remaining victims. Through his nightvison, Ghost could see the flicker of bright green, indicating something that was living, something he could take the living out of. Qwelling a growl, Ghost silently, stealthily made his way over to the group of men who were huddle together with their guns drawn, ready to shoot and anything that moved.

_" What ever is out there, it can't be human, it killed all those men, man, all our men."_ Came a panic filled voice in Ukrainian dialogue.

_" Shut up Klause, we have to remain calm and guard the Nucs. If we see or hear anything move, shoot it with as many bullets you can."_ Came another voice, though deeper, was no less filled with the same terror.

Ghost smiled like the cat who caught the canary, theseeight fools all huddled together had no idea he was standing right next to the man who'd just spoken about shooting anything that moved. Ghost resist, seeing as to how he was a fluent speaker of the Ukrainian language.

_" You're all going to die."_ He growled in a purely demonic voice.

The results were instant as all seven men started shooting their weapons all at once. There aim was way out there in left field. Ghost simple stepped around a corner and waited for the wanton bullets to stop flying.

Once they did, Ghost did somthing that probably made some of these men soil themselves. He started laughing, the sound anything but humorous, it cold, deep, and all together... evil.

Ghost grotesque delight grew as three more men came bounding down the other hallway, join his already marked eight.

_" A perfect dozen, howlovely."_ Thought Ghost with a small grin of savage joy as he watched his unsuspecting prey scrambling to make sense of the terrifying situation he'd put them in.

The grin left Ghost's mask-hidden face as he gritted his teeth to try and qwell the berserk rage that made his vision go red. Ghost tightened the grip around the hilt of his sword and with alow snarl, Ghost shot out of his hidding place and swooped down on his prey, deciding to indulge the manically murderous part of his nature.

With inhuman speed, Ghost was in there midsts, slicing and dicing mercilessly, all the while keeping count of each life he quickly ended.

22!... 21!... 20!... 19!... 18!... 17!... 16!...15!... 14!... 13!... 12!...11!... Twelve lives ending in rapid succession.

When the last corpse hit the floor, dicapitated, Ghost paused to calm himself down. The murderous rage slowly passed and Ghost sighed.

He reached the final ten men in his blood-drenched countdown. With asoft feral snarl, Ghost stealthily made his way towards the holding area where the nuclear warheads were stored and ready for launch if need be.

These men would beno match for Ghost, but he decided to let them enjoy a few more precious minutes of life before he sent them on their way to their Maker. With an almost inaudible sigh, Ghost noislessly sheathed his sword and took a seat Indian style in the shadows, his back to the wall near his remaining victims a good three meters away, who were all huddled around a heavy looking metal door, set on protecting the Nucs.

Ghost reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Snickersbar, skillfully ripping away the wrapper, making as little noise as possible. He deftly pulled up his mask and took a bite of the peanuts and caramel coveredin milk chocolate.

He imediately felt like spitting it out, the sweetness of the candy tasting more like ash in his mouth. However, he quickly wolfed the entire thing down, nowing full well that a sugar rush was a good thing now that he was down to his final ten victims. Ghost quickly swallowed the last of the chocolate bar and the gracefully got to his feet without making any sound loud enough to alert his last batch of victims of their impending death approaching.

To his silent satisfaction, Ghost could see that the ten remaining men had let their guard down somewhat, their weapons held in semi-lax grips. Ghost eyed them coldly through his night-vision goggled and the smirked as with inhuman speed once again, he unsheathed his deadly Japanese steel.

_" The Devil is waiting for you all, I shall not keep him waiting."_ Growled Ghost in the Ukrainian language as he brought his blade down in a deadly arch, catching victim number ten dead center on the very top of his head, the blade passing through bone and flesh as though it were butter, slicing the man in half vertically.

Without giving any of them a chance to fire off their guns, Ghost took them down one by one in rapid succession, enough time had been wasted in indulging a blood-thirsty nature, now all Ghost wanted was to clear the way for Mikaila and her men to finish the job they had all set out to do.

9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...

Now Ghost paused as he stalked his final victim who was cowering in the coner after he'd heard and felt his other nine comrades diepainful deaths at the hands of some unholy demon that had remained unseen in the shadows. Ghost felt a very feint pang of pity as he heard this lone survivor whimper and moan in fear. The pity quickly fled and was replaced bya feeling of nothingas Ghost slowly krept closer and closer to his final victim, coming to stand a mere two steps away.

With a barely audible sigh, Ghost slowly raised his blade above his head beforeletting it fall in a deadly arch, a scream of raw rage roaring from his throat, mingling with his final victim's terrified scream of agony and death as the tip of Ghost's blade made a temporary home in this final man's chest, impaling his heart. With a cruel twist of the steel, Ghost roughly yanked his blade out of what was now a corpse, his hypersensitive hearing picking up on the sound of a few liters of human blood slowly leaking out of the hole in this final man's chest.

1... 0.

100 guards sent to protect the Nuclear warheads.

100 guards all dead at the hands of one man.

Ghost took a moment to realize that there was no one left to kill, no one left to send to the afterlife, no one.

With a sigh, Ghost reached up and pressed a button at the side of his mask and raised the comm-Link.

" Everyone, the third floor is all clear, I'll be expecting you." He growled.

On the two other floors, the only six other people who were still breathing felt chills run up their spines at the cold voice they had just heard, but one by one, they all obeyed the call of their leader.

There was a job that still needed to be done.


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 26: The Job is Done

Mojave took out the final zip disc from the main computer, the last of the data from the computer was successfully extracted. With a satisfied smiled, Mojave pulled out a lovely little grenade and pulled out the pin. He placed the now volatile weapon in front of the monitor and key-board before high-tailing it out of there.

A loud bang behind him told him that the computer wouldn't be up and running, ever again. Mojave quickly headed back the way he'd taken to reach the second floor, now he would go back the way he came and follow his leader's long past footsteps down the tunnel that led to the third floor, Branders and Palmer at his heels as the three of them ran to the redezvous point.

Nighthawk was headed for the same place with Mikaila and Taylor following. The three of them quickly scurried down the ladder that led down to the main tunnel.

No sooner had Nighthawk and his two fellow Operatives set foot on the tunnel floor, Mojave and the two operative barely keeping up with him. With a quick glance, the two other member of the Big Three Unit barreled down the tunnel, with Mikaila Gordon and her unit barely keeping up with them.

The six of them reached the end of the tunnel and eyed the glass pane roof below them. Mojave and Nighthawk climbed down swiftly and both of them dove in through the man-sized hole their leader had left for them.Mikaila and her men quickly follow.

However, all six Operatives stood glued to the spot as their night-vision covered eyes fell on the carnage before them.

" Holy Shit." Swore Palmer.

" Ghost... did all this?" Asked an utterly shocked Taylor.

" Yeah Taylor, it was all him. He ain't the best for no reason." Said Branders, his voice quivering with horrified awe.

Mojave, Nighthawk, and Mikaila remained silent as the led the way down the hall to the holding area. As they walk, they stepped over body after body, Palmer almost falling when his boot slipped on somthing wet and congealed. Palmer swallowed down the small surge of bile that rose from his stomach into his throat as he wordlessly continued onwards with the rest of the group as they neared the steel door.

They all paused when they saw the lone green figure standing infront of the door. Mojave licked his suddenly dry lips before he spoke.

" Ghost you alright man?" He asked somewhat hesitantly.

All he got back was silence and the suddenly, there was a soft metallic _shing_ as Ghost Samuari sword was unsheathed.

The six other Operatives watched in awe as their leader let loose a swift barrage of attackupon the steel door. But, just asquickly as the attack started, it stopped and the sword was again sheathed. They all watched as Ghost took a step to the side, clear from the heavy door as like a felled tree, it slowly fell to the floor.

_CLANG... _

The sound echoed through the silent halls, a gong that signalled the end of the blood soaked opera of death that had taken place on this floor. When the noise faded, Ghost turned to his fellow Operatives.

" Miki, do you your thing." He Growled.

Mikaila supressed a shiver and obeyed wordlessly, he team following her as she scampered into the holding area. Mojave and Nighthawk hesitantly stepped closer to the leader.

" Heramano, are you alright?" Asked Mojave, his voice conveying his concern.

" I'm okay man, I'll be better once we get out of this Hell-hole." Said Ghost, at last allowing the fatigue to enter his voice.

" Yeah,that sounds real good." Added Nighthawk, who thenhesitantly reached out and placed a hand on Ghost's arm. To his and Mojave's relief, Ghost allowed the contact, he himself reaching out to give Nighthawk's shoulder a brief squeeze before turning and wordlessly walking into the holding area where Mikaila and her team were hard at word disarming the three missiles.

An hour later, all three warheads were disarmed and usless.

" Let's go." Said Ghost as he ledthe way back to the whole in the glass roof. The seven Operatives stepped over bodies and pools of blood. When they reached the hole, the watched as Ghost stood under it with his hands clasped together.

" Mikaila." Ghost gruffly.

With a humorless smirk, Mikaila came forward and accepted the boost up to the only means of escape. With cat-like grace, Mikaila climbed out of the death-pit and then awaited the rest of her Operatives. One by one, Ghost assisted all of his fellow operatives in getting up and out of the hole. When he was the last person still inside the third floor. Ghost took a moment to gaze one final time at what his murderous rage had done, leaving behind a hundred lifeless corpses, all dead by his hand alone.

" Hermano." Came a voice that shook Ghost from his reverie.

He looked up to see two hands outstretched towards him, Mojave and Nighthawk waiting patiently for their leader. With a wan smile behind his mask, Ghost accepted both hands and let his two fellow Operatives help him out of the Death-pit he himself had created.

Without looking back, Ghost climbed up the opening of the tunnel, Mojave and Nighthawk following, Mikaila and her men were already waiting and stood to attention as the Big Three walked past them wordlessly. Mikaila and her men followed as the seven operatives walked in silence back down the tunnel to where their scuba gear was waiting.

They were to leave all of combat gear here in the caves, the clean-up units would get them out when they arrived to erase all trace of terrorist activity.

When they all reached the spot where the hole that led to the Black sea, all seven Operatives set about quickly stripping off their combat gear and putting on their scuba gear once more.

Mikaila stole a glance at Ghost from where she was disarming herself. She watched as Ghost, who had pulled off his mask to reveal a pale and weary face,slowly peeled off his cobat shirt and cargo pants, which were to her chagrin, soaked with blood. With morbid fascination, she took in the sight of Ghost's Adonis-like physic, hued a light pink in places from the blood of his victims, the crimson liquid managing to seep through the fabrict of the combat gear to touch pale,nearly flawless skin.

Mikaila was startled from her staring when Ghost abruptly turned around, his almost black eyes zeroing in on her. They bore holes into her soul once again, Mikaila quickly looked away and went back to getting ready for the swim back to civilization.

Ghost turned back to getting ready, all the while feeling dirty and disgusting, the smell of blood was now a pungent odor in his nostrils and he pulled on his thermal wet-suite. He wanted to be as far away from this place as possible, he wanted to be where the aire was free and breathable, he wanted... to go home, to his oblivious but loving family, his one true redemption.

With a final tug of the zipper, Ghost was in full underwater gear and now waited for the rest of the Operatives to be ready. Ten minutes later, Ghost dove head-first into the hole in the cavern floor, leading the way through the watery path back to the surface.

It was very early in the morning, with the sun just begining to chase away the darkness of the night.

Toby had caught a few minutes of sleep before a particularly large wave rocked the speed boat he was aboard, jarring him awake.

He now waited for the Big Three Unit to sufface.

Ghost propelled himself through the water with the calm and grace of a shark as he made his way up to the dim but every growing light of morning across the surface of the water.

With a final surge, Ghost broke through the surface, the cold sea air greeting him. Beside him, six other mask-clad heads popped up.

Ghost pulled up his diving mask and mouth piece and turned to his fellow operatives as they flooted in the down dark blue waters of the Black Sea. His eyes met those of Mikaila Gordon and her three men.

These four Operative watched in silent awe as the leader of the Big Three bestowed upon them a wan smile before he spoke.

" Good work Gordon. You and your guysdone the CIA proud." Called Ghost before he sent a look to his fellow members of the Big Three, signalling for them to follow him as he swam away towards one of the black Speeders where Toby was anxiously awaiting them.

Mikaila felt her face warm up dispite the cold waters at the plaudits that had been awarded her and her three guys. With a small smile, Mikaila led her team to the second speed boat.

Ghost climbing over the side of the black Speeder and then he and Toby helped Mojave and Nighthawk out of the water.

The three top Operatives of the CIA sat silently as the Speeder roared to life with Toby at the helm, propelling the boat through the waves of the Black Sea, back towards civilizations and their Commander, who would be waiting for them.

Ghost finally let the full wave of exhaustion he had been keeping at bay to finally wash over him, all the while hearing the echoes of the screams of death from every man who's life he'd ended with either a bullet from his gun or a slash of his sword.

The job was done. This job, anyway.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 27: To Wash Away Sin and Temptation

The drive to the hotel was made in complete silence, with Mojave, Nighthawk, and Toby all stealing glances at Ghost where he sat in the front passenger seat, dressed in civilian attire, his eyes staring vacantly out the window at the passing Ukrainian scenery. Behind them was a second black SUV carrying Mikaila and her team.

The sun was slowly peaking over Ukraine in a bright new morning,Ghost however,he felt no warmth. His soul was numb to everything other than how filthy he felt as Toby pulled the car into the hotel parking garage where Derek Steele was waiting for them.

Toby and the members of the Big Three unit piled out of the vehicle, followed moments laterby Mikaila and her men.

Steele took one look at his top feild Operative and knew that Ghost was in no mood for explaining. When there eyes met, Steele supressed the urge to shudder at what he saw in Ghost's bottomless, almost black eyes. They were devoid of anything, empty and cold.

Steele wordlessly gave Ghost a small nod and then jerked his head minutely to the side, signaling that he was free to go.

Ghost wordlessly nodded and walked past his commander and disappeared into the shadows towards the hotel elevator.

Mojave and Nighthawk could handle the situation without him. As he walked, Ghost knew Mikaila was watching him as he went.

With a soft chime, the elevatore doors slid open and Ghost numbly stepped inside, the doors sliding back. With a soft jolt, the elevator started it's journey up to the penthouse suite at the top floor. With a weary exhale, Ghost leaned against the elevator wall, letting his head hang limply in defeat, his arms and legs felt like lead, and his body felt unclean, as it actually was.

The ride up was thankfully undisturbed seeing as to how in was 5:00 AM in the morning, most souls still slept at this hour. Ghost new full well the only way he'd get some sleep was if he popped a few sleeping pills. But it was doubtful if even that would work.

With another soft chime, the doorsof the elevator parted and Ghost dragged himself into the deserted hallway. He dug into one of the pockets of the dark-blue sweatshirt he had on and pulled out a roomkey-card, he swiped it through the lock and turned theknob, stepping into the lavish suite, with all the luxeries a person could want.

Ghost let out a disdainful snort.

_Luxery_, what was _it_ to someone like him?

The only luxery he had any right to was to simply be, seeing as to how he had managed to not die during this mission.

Then, Ghost stopped dead and felt a twinge in his gut. He knew exactly what was happening as he felt and tasted the bile rising up from his stomach into his throat, leaving a sour burn as it went. Ghost ran into the bathroom of his private room within the suite.

He reached the toilet just in time as his stomachbegan to empty itself into the porcelain toilet very rapidly.

Ghost let out a small moan of discomfort as he finished vomiting. With a flush of the toilet, the mess disappeared down the drain.

Wearily, a broken man climbed to his feet and stood before the mirror overlooking the sink.

It was then that Ghost, the top Operativeof the CIA vanished into the recesses of the mind which he shared. Now stood a man with a heart that was slowly shattering to peices for the billionth time.

Charlie sighed as he took in his pale and withdrawn face, if Don or Alan were to see him now, they would have mistaken him for a corpse.

Averting his gaze from his reflection andbegan stripping of his outer garments. He pulled theswearshirt over his head, his muscles aching in protest. Now shirtless, Charlie walked over to the glass shower door, pulling it open as he reached for the faucets for the hot and cold water.

A few moments later, the showerhead erupted in a cascade of steaming hot water. As the shower kept steaming, Charlie continued to strip of his clothing, peeling off the ratty pair of blue jeans and plain white boxers underneath.

Sluggishly, Charlie stepped into the shower letting the hot, soothing water barrage his tired body a moment before he reached for the bar of soap.

He ran the bar over his now saturated flesh, worming up a foamy lather as he washed away the blood and grime. Once he'd rinsed off the suds, he watched in morbid fascination as the now lightly pink hued foam slowly disappeared down the drain. With bleary eyes, Charlie stepped out of the shower and reached out to grab a fluffy white towel, wrapping it around his waist as he grabbed another towel and started drying his wet curls. All this mattered none, he still felt unclean... unhuman.

Charlie dragged his weary body out of the bathroom, he tossed the towel he'd used for his hair over the back of one of the chairs in his bedroom as he made his way over to his black duffle bag and fished out a pair of black sleeping pants. After he'd donned them, he all but stumbled to the bed and sat down on the side of the bed, his back haunched and his head hung.

Charlie glanced at the small, prescription bottle of sleeping pills resting on top of the bedside table.

With a slightly trembling hand, Charlie reached out and picked up the bottle. Slowly, he unscrewed the cap and set about shaking the bottle to get out a single pill. Instead, almost all of the contents of the bottle spilled into his outstretched hand.

For one terrifying moment, Charlie heard the sweet, poisonous voice of temptation in his ear, trying toconvince him that in his hand was the one way to absolute peace.

Death.

The very word echoed through Charlie's mind like an unholy mantra. Charlie stared at the small mound oflittle white pills in his hand.

_Was this really the only way out?_

_Was the only truely free man, a dead one? _

These questions, Charlie asked himself miserably.

Then, Charlie's vision went red with fury, shame washed over him at ever thinking he had the right to do something so incredibly stupid, threatening to drown him without mercy.

With his jaw clenched tight, Charlie shot up from the bed where he sat and stormed into the bathroom, the white pills clenched tightly in his fist.

Charlie flung the pills into the serene waters of the toilet and with irritation,watched them disappear as they were flushed down the drain.

With a defeated sigh, the anger quickly left Charlie's being as he stumbled back into the bedroom, his eyes burning and burring up with salty tears as he collapsed onto the crisp white sheets.

Silent sobs wracked Charlie's body as he cucooned himself into the sheets, the exhaustion of all he'd done dragging him into a dreamless sleep.

The nightmares would inevitably find him.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 28: A Weary Soul Returns Home

Christian Wolfe heaved a small sigh as he gazed out at the Ukrainian coast-line with the Black sea stretching out towards the horizon. Beside him was Julio Vargas and Charlie Eppes, the three members of the Big Three Unit, all now back to being civilians, tourists sitting on a stone wall over looking the sea in the city of Yalta.

Christian and Julio let their gazes drift to their third companion. Both of them feeling warmth as a quiet strength emminated from the curly haired young man.

A full two weeks had passed by since the underground mission.

For those two weeks, Charlie had remained very quiet,loosing himself in meditation, sinking deep into the recesses of his mind to make peace withall of his actions. He had slowly willed himself to come to terms with what had happened, and the one hundred lives he had ended. Above all, Charlie made peace with his other half, Ghost.

Today was the day they were going home, nearly three months had gone by since they had all answered the call of the job dutifully. Now, it was timeback to their seperate lives as a New York Pastry Chef, an Arizona NARCO Cop, and a genius Passadena College Proffessor and FBI Consultant.

With a sigh, Charlie turned to his two friends and gave them a warm smile.

" Let's go home." He said with a small sigh. Christian and Julio both returned Charlie's smile and followed the young man back down the road to the hotel.

The ride in the elevator was filled with horsing around by Christian and Julio, who much to their own delight, watched as Charlie laughed his head off, looking absolutely radiant with mirth.

When they reached the penthouse, they each split up to go pack up their things. Steele had called earlier, telling them to be ready in an hour. They had spent half that hour taking in the Ukrainian coast. The other half was now being used to pack up and getting back downstairs to meet Toby.

Making quick work of all of his personal belongings, Charlie paused a moment in the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. Charlie let a small smile grace his face, he looked more like his old self than he had two weeks ago. With a sigh, Charlie headed back to his bedroom and finsihed packing. He pulled a black suit jacket over the light green vintage T-shirt and blue jeans with a ripped knee he had on.

With a final glance at the room, Charlie walked through the door to meet his two friends. Together, they walked out of the penthouse suite and headed back to the elevator, their duffle bags packed, ready for the journey home.

The elevator ride was made in comfortable silence and when they reached the lobby, they were met withthe hustle and bustle as guest were checking in or checking out, families lounging around with childrenand employees running around.

Charlie, Christian, and Julio swam through the controlled chaos to the front doors, Steele had already taken care of all the checking out hastle for his unit. Now themembers of the Big Three were waiting outside for their beloved chauffer to show up.

A few minutes later, a sleek, black SUV was pulling up infront of them, with Tobias Finch at the wheel.

" Hey there Cabbie." Grinned Charlie.

Toby rolled his eyes when the hated nickname was uttered, but theannoyance faded when he saw the smile on Charlie's face.

" Hello all." Smiled Toby as the three men piled into the vehicle, Julio andChristian in the back andCharlie in the front.

The drive to the airport was filled with thecomical banter between four good friends but in the back of his mind, Charlie could still hear the feint echos of dead men screaming in death.

When they reached the airstrip, they all bid Toby a fond farewell and headed to the waiting private jet, two NSA agents standing by as they climbed the steps.

" Hey Harding, Stevens." Said Charlie pleasantly, earning a simple nod from the two men.

The three deactivated CIA Operatives took their seats and waited for take-off.

Twenty minutes later, the sleek white jet was soaring through the heavens with effortless ease.

Charlie got up from his seat and decided to raid therack with all the junkfood in it. After he'd found a bag of Doritos, he joined Julio and Christian for a game of cards, knowing that he'd cream them both yet again.

Several hours later...

Charlie, Julio, and Christian were back in their seats, the seatbelts buckled in as the jet decended from the clouds, slowly making its way back down to earth, the JFK Airport runway in New York city in sight.

Christian Wolfe was home as the wheels of the jet set down of the asphalt. Slowly, the plane came to a halt.

With a sigh, Christian got up from his seat and picked up his duffle back.

Julio was the first to all but pounce on him, hugging him tightly and whispering some words to him.

When they pulled apart, Charlie stepped forward and gently pulled Christian into a hug.

" How do you do it Christian, how do you deal with what we do?" Whispered Charlie into Christian's ear.

" Hey, isn't that what I should be asking you?" Chuckled Christian softly.

" Yeah but, I decided I'd steal it from you just this once." Smiled Charlie as they pulled away from each other.

" Take care of yourselves." Said Christian with a sad smile as he walked through the jet door, disappearing into the sun.

With a sigh, Charlie returned to his seat and Julio to his as they waited for the plane to take off once again.

Once again, the plane was gliding through the heavens, this time, the runway of the Phoenix Arizona airport being their next destination.

Julio and Charlie set about playing another round of cards, Julio once again loosing spectacularly to his friend and leader. The sting of loosing was quickly soothed when Julio caught sight of the red, rusty colored land of his beloved home state.

Once again, the Jet slowly left the heavens and made its way down to the runway of the Phoenix airport.

Once the plane stopped completely,one of the NSA agents set about getting the Jet's door open.

Julio smiled as he pulled Charlie into a bear hug.

" Dude, I'm gonna need oxygen to survive you know." Chuckled Charlie as he returned the tight embrace.

" Yeah yeah, this coming from the guy who can go hold his breath for a good ten minutes if he wanted to." Said Julio dead-pan.

Charlie chuckled as they pulled away from the embrace.

" May San Maria watch over you always." Smiled Julio as he picked up his bag.

" Ditto." Sighed Charlie as he watched Julio disappear into the late afternoon sunlight.

A few minutes later, the white jet was soaring through the air with it's final destination, Passadena California.

Charlie sighed as he gazed out the window, taking in the panoramic view of the world beneath him.

Now he was alone, with no friends to distracting him from the residual turmoil his soul was still in.

By the time the plane reached California, it was getting dark.

As the plane departed from the heavens for the final time, Charlie swallowed down the nervousness.

What was he going to do when he got to his house?

He wasn't spending the night in another hotel room tonight, he was going straight home to his own bed in his own house.

Charlie sighed as the cool evening air greeted him as he stepped out of the place.

" Honey, I'm home." Thought Charlie without humor as he made his way to the waiting SUV, where NSA Agents Gold, and Harris stood.

" Hey." Was all Charlie said as he climbed into the back seat. Gold and Harris took their seats in the front.

Without further daudling, the SUV grumbled to life, pulling away from the private jet and the LAX Airport.

The SUV pulled into the Los Angeles street, it's destination being a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs.

Charlie gazed out the window at pretty little lights that danced by as the SUV cruised along the highway, slowly leaving the hustle and bustle of the city of Angels and heading into the place where people prefered to raise their families.

All too soon, they were pulling up about a block from Charlie's childhood home and now the house he owned.

" Thanks for the lift." Said Charlie flatly as he climbed out of the vehicle.

" Anytime man." Said Gold before he disappeared behind the window.

Charlie sighed as he watched the car vanish down thestreet. Adjusting the strap of his bag before he began walking down the block to his home. With each step, his anxiety grew, inevitably, he found himself standing before his house.

To his relief and disappointment, the lights were out and his father's car was not in the driveway. However, he recognized Don's SUV parked infront.

_" Looks like the two of them probably went out for dinner together."_ Thought Charlie.

With a sad smile,he climbed up the stairs to the front door, fishing out his house key from his back jeans pocket.

Charlie let himself into his own house, without any warm welcome from the family he hadn't seen or spoken to in three long months, no welcome at all. Maybe it was punishment for all the families he'd torn apart with every life he'd taken mere weeks ago. Charlie locked the door behind him, always mindful of his surroundings.

Charlie decided to leave the lights out and dragged himself up the stairs to the second floor. He glided through the darkness and made it down the hall, reaching for the doorknob of his room.

The door creeked open and Charlie stepped into his room and switched on the light.

Battling the jetlag of a full days worth of flying, Charlie set his duffle bag down on the neatly made bed and then unzipped one of the side bags. He pulled out a fully loaded 55. Caliber Baretta fire arm. He stared at the lethal weapon in his hand a moment, feeling a numbness pass over his soul before he pulled out the clip of bullets and walked to his closet. He kneeled before the woodpanneled floor and pulled a few out to reveal a secret compartment in the floor. Charlie placed the gun and clip into the hole before sealing it back up with the floor pannels.

With a lingering gaze, Charlie went back to his duffle bag and began unpacking all his clothes and other items. When he was done, all that remained in the bag were his toothbrush, shaving kit, and other toiletries, he'd save those for the morning.

Charlie quickly changed into a pair of gray sleeping pants and a large Old Navy T-shirt.

The reunion with his family would have to wait till morning as he switched off the light and all but collapse onto the bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Twenty minutes later, a silver Honda Civic pulled into the driveway and Alan and Don Eppes returned from a pleasant dinner at a local Italian restaurant.

" That was a very nice dinner." Said Alan with a smile as he and Don headed up the stairs to the house. Alan had convinced his oldest son to stay the night.

" It would have been nicer if he'd been with us." Said Don with a sad smile as his father opened the door and the stepped into their beloved Charlie's house, totally oblivious to the fact that their brother and son was upstairs, dead to the world in sleep in his own room.

Don and Alan spent the better part of an hour just talking and occasionally watching the football game on the T.V. before they both decided to call it a night.

Alan bid his son goodnight, Don opting to sleep on the couchin the living room.

The two men retired for the night, they would awake to a morning they would not forget any time soon.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 29: Breakfast Anyone?

Don Eppes was awakened from his slumber by the delicious smell of fresh coffee and the sound of something frying in the direction of the kitchen.

" Bless you dad." Grumbled Don as he sat up and stretched. Today was mercifully and day off for the FBI agent.

As Don stretched leisurly, the sounds of someone coming down the stairs. Confused now, Don walked out into the hall to see who it was and was stunned to see his father Alan, complete withbed-head.

" Morning Donnie." Yawned Alan.

Instead of relying in kind to his father, Don asked a question.

" Dad, if your on the stairs, who the hell's making breakfast in there?" Don indicating the kitchen with a thumb pointed to that room.

Alan sleepy face vanished instantly, being replaced by one of concern and alertness as he joined his oldest son at the bottom of the stairs.

The two Eppes men quietly made their way through the dining room, Don imediately switching to FBI Agent mode, telling Alan to stay behind him as he led the way. When the sound of someone walking around the kitchen was heard, Don sprung into action.

" FBI DON'T..." Don's voice died in his throat as his eyes grew wide. His jaw was probably making good friend with the floor, and the gasp somewhere behind him signaled that Alan propably had the same expression as him.

A pair of very amused, almost black, brown eyes stared back at them.

Charlie turned and slid the last pancake out of the frying pan onto the medium sized stack he'd already made. He then set the frying pan back down on the stove and turned back to his stupefied brother and father.

Swallowing down his nervousness, Charlie walked forward, coming to stand at arms length from Don. The two brothers stared at each other before Charlie tentatively reached out with a finger, pushing Don's slackened jaw shut.

" I thought I'd make you guys some pancakes, since you like'em so much." Said Charlie quietly.

Then he felt all the air leave his lungs as a pair of warm familiar arms pulled him into avice-like hug. With a shaky sigh, Charlie wrapped his arms around Don, hugging him back.

" Charlie?" Whispered Don, still not believing himself, even as he hugged the warm body to him.

" Hey big bro, sorry I startled you guys so early in the morning." Whispered Charlie, feeling the familiar burn of tears behind his eyeballs. After several more minutes spend hugging each other, Don finally pried himself away from his baby brother.

Charlie had only a second to grab a breath of air before he felt another pair of arms encircle him.

" Since when do youcook?" Asked Alan, his voice gruff with emotion as he hugged his youngest child.

"Every once in a while. I'm nothing compared to you though." Said Charlie as he snuggled his face into his father's shoulder, clinging to the older man.

When they pulled apart, Charlie felt a hand on his arm, turning him around so that he faced his brother once again.

" When did you get back?" He asked.

" ... Last night." Answered Charlie sheepishly.

" What! When?" Asked a shocked Don.

" I came home at like... 9:30 or something like that. No body was home so, I let myself in. I guess, I just fell asleep by the time you guys got home and woke up early this morning, decided I'd make you guys breakfast." Shrugged Charlie.

Both Don and Alan looked at Charlie like he was from another planet.

The three Eppes men stood in silence before they all broke down into hearty fits of laughter.

Their happy laughter echoed through the house.

Charlie felt warm and at peace as he watched his father and brother dig in to the pancakes he'd made.

Which were surprisingly good.

Later that day, Don and Charlie headed into the FBI offices where Charlie was all but pounced on by Colby, Megan, and David. They started bombarding him with question after question, which he could not truthfully answer.

After they left the FBI Offices, Don and Charlie headed over to CalSci to surprise Larry Fleinhardt. The poor man nearly fainted when he caught sight of his young friend and colleague.

And so the day was spent with Charliegetting reaquanted with the life he'd left behind for three long months.

Throughout this day, Don was like a second skin barely giving Charlie any time to himself. It was understandable.

That night, Charlie went to sleep in his own bed with only one troubling thought.

_" How long can I stay this time?"_


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 30: Words Spoken in Anger

_Charlie POV: _

_I__t's been, six full months since I came back from Ukraine. Don and Dad have slowly let up in their smothering though, not entirely. I can understand why, they are still afraid I'll disappear again. Being in the CIA, it's both a gift and a curse. I keep those I love safe but, my own rights to a life are violated at will. It comes with the territory. _

_How was I to see that the next time I took off, it wasn't because of my real job, but because of words, simple words spoken in anger? _

Normal POV:

Today was not a good, not a good day at all.

The Eppes house was under a dark cloud on this day.

Exactly two years ago, Margaret Eppes lost her battle to cancer and died on this date. She had come to death peacefully, with her husband and oldest son beside her. Her youngest som however had remained holed up inside the garage, working of P vs NP, the unsolvable math equation.

After she had passed away, Don and Alan had seen to all of the arrangements and formalities. The oldest Eppes brother had to all but drag his baby brother out of the garage so that they could all mourn as a family for the loss of their mother and wife.

Both Alan and Don believed that Charlie had never once gone to see Margaret on her deathbed. They had both always harbored resentment for that. Don especially had been angry, angry that his brother Charlie could be so childish, in his eyes, his brother had abandoned their mother when she needed him the most. Overtime, these feeling were buried away in the darkest crevices of Don's heart.

But, like a dormant volcano, it was only a matter of time before everything blew up.

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Charlie Eppes felt like someone had gone and ripped his heart out of his chest. All other sound was lost to him as his brother's words echoed through his ears.

_" You abandoned her Charlie! She was our mother and she was dying, you didn't even go to see her once. You were selfish, you didn't care at all about her, all you ever cared about was your precious P vs NP! You used her up and then when she needed you the most, you weren't there for her!_ _You weren't there for dad! You weren't there for ME! I'll never fogive you for that Charlie, NEVER! " _

To add to that, Alan had notimmediately jumped to his defense, in fact, his father hadn't come to defend him at all. It wasn't that Charlie needed to be defended, it just would have been nice to have your father be the mediator and ultimate mender of the fences. He had also seen the look on his father's face, he was clearly with Don on this one.

Instead of denying all these claims because he knew they weren't true. Charlie had remained silent save forfive words.

_" Get out. Both of you."_ For one terrifying moment, Ghost had been trying toclaw his way to the surface, trying to push Charlie Eppes aside. If Ghost taken over, Don Eppes would have probably had his throat slit open with the nearest metallic object. Thankfully, Ghost had not been successful as he was once again banished to the dark recesses of the mind he shared.

Now, a full two hour had passed since that fall out. Charlie was staring vacantly at the front door, the same door he'd practically shoved both his father and brother out of. Now he sat slumped against one of the walls. He felt nothing now, save pain, sheer agony burning through his entire being.

With a shaky gasp of air, Charlie let the floor gates open. Hot tears streamed down his face and his body shook with silent sobs. After a full hour of crying, and feeling sorry for himself, Charlie pulled himself together, a plan already forming in his head.

_" I can't stay here, not after tonight. There's too great a risk that the next time I see my family, I'll kill them both. I gotta get out of here, go somewhere I can clear my head."_


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Numb3rs, it's all property of CBS and whatnot, so don't sue.

Chapter 31: The Truth is Revealed... But No One To Ask For Forgiveness

True to his vow, Charlie had called in to the CalSci Dean the next day, alerting him to the fact that he was taking some time off, a sabbatical of sorts. He'd been scant on the real reason for the need for such an absence but in the end, he got his request fulfilled.

Charliewas absolutely miserable, and a part of him wanted desperately for either his father of his brother to call him so that he could tell them the truth, aboutall those nights he climbed up the side of the house and snuck into his dying mother's room, spending the wee hours of the morning with her until the sun came up. Most of those nights, he begged her to keep fighting, even though he knew she was too fargone.

With a sigh, Charlie tried to banish the harsh words he'd been the brunt of the night before as he quickly packed a dufflebag with a few weeks worth of clothing and other necessary items. He was also trying with all his might to quell that tiny little voice in his head that kept saying things like...

_" You know you deserved every word Don said. Admit it, you are a selfish little leech who doesn't deserve to live." _

Charlie quickly shook his head to banish these thoughts as he finsihed packing his stuff. He then grabbed a pen and paper, along with a white letter envelope. With tears welling in his eyes, Charlie wrote along the pure white surface a few tears escaping from his eyes and splashing onto the paper, his hand trembling slightly as he wrote a note to his brother and father. He quickly folded the note and stuffed it into the envelope, scribble " Don and Dad" on the front.

With a shaky sigh, Charlie set the envelope on top of the coffee table in the before he picked up his duffle bag and keys. With a final glance around his house, Charlie walked through the door out into the sun, the light doing nothing to warm hissoul as he waited for the cab he'd called to show up.

When it arrived, Charlie climbed in and then reached into his pocket for his cell-phone.

He pulled it out and then flipped it open, pressing the button for a number of speed dial. He then waited for someone to answer.

Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Steele." Came the simple answer.

" Steele, it's me." Said Charlie.

"What's wrong Ghost?" Asked Steele, immediately zeroing in on the misery lacing his top Operative's voice.

" I just wanted to call you and say that I'm disappearing for a while."

" What? Wait a minute... Why?" Asked a confused derek Steele.

"I just...I need to get away from everything, and I mean _everything_. I'm sorry, I just,I have to go. Find me, only if it is absolutely necessary, other than that... Mojave and Nighthawk can handle things themselves." Said Charlie, not waiting for an answer as he flipped his phone off and settled in for the ride that would take him into the city where his real ride was waiting for him.

Twenty minutes after Charlie's cab had pulled away from the house, a black SUV pulled into the driveway of Casa Eppes.

" Dad, I don't think this is such a good idea. He'll probably kick us out of the house again the moment we step across the threshold. Besides, maybe we need a little distance after what happened last night." Grumbled Don.

" Son, you should never have said all those things to your brother, you know how sensitive he is. Now we are all going to sit down and talk about this.Now, we just checked with Larry and he said that Charlie hadn't come in to work this morning so, he's probablyhere at home, now let's go!"Said Alan sternly as he climbed out of the SUV, Don begrudingly following him as they made their way up the drivewayto check the garage first.

When they came up empty-handed, they made their way back to the front door and knocked. When no one answered, Alan pulled out his house key andlet himself and Don in.

" Charlie! Son are you here!" Called out Alan, receiving only silence.

Don rolled his eyes dramtically before he spoke.

" C'mon Dad, he probably went out for a walk of something. We can come back later, I think it's too soon for a heart to heart talk any how." Said Don stubbornly.

He was turning to head back out the door when his eyes fell on the white envelope laying on top of the coffee table in the livingroom.

" Donnie, what is it?" Asked Alan ashe followed his oldest son into the livingroom.

Don immeditately recognized the handwriting on the front of it to be Charlie's.

With a sinking feeling, Don picked up theenvelope and opened it, pulling out the note inside.

Don felt his heart stop completely as his mind processed the words written before him.

_Dear Don, and Dad._

_If you guys are reading this, you either came to apologize or spit out more venom. By the time you're done reading this, I'll be long gone._

_Donnie, I know that you were angry and hurting when you said all those things to me. I didn't have the heart to say anything to my defense but, you're wrong,I never abandoned our mother. You and Dad both think that I was too wrapped up in P vs NP. The truth is, I did go to see her, I went to see her every night. I would climb up the side of the house and sneak in through mom's bedroom window. If you don't believe me, ask Nora, the night nurse Dad hired. _

_All I can really remember was seeing Mom laying there, so frail, with all those tubes going into her arms. Her hair was gone, her eyes were sunken into her head, her hand so cold in both of mine, half the time I was with her, I don't think she even heard a word of what I said. Mostly, I just kept begging her to hold on, to not leave us, to not leave me. But she did, on that day, whenI went to go see her, I knew it would be our last time together. During our last conversation, she made me promise her to stay strong, and that no matter what, never let anything you or dad said in your anger to break me because whatever you said was misguided. How were you to know anything different other than that I was holed up in the garage, working on that pointless equation? Then three hours later, she was gone. The only person on this planet who truely understood me. _

_Don, I know that you and Dad have always held a small smidgen of resentment for me eversince I was born but, I love you both so much. I was alway envious of just how strong the both of you guys were those months she was home. I could never have dealt with that situation like you guys did. But, I dealt with it in my own way._

_I guess, I never told you guys anything so that you could have something to focus your anger at. It was nothing new for me, I've always been more or less everybody else's punching bag._

_I'm notmad at either of you, I just didn'tthink it would hurt this much. Please Don, as a small curtesy to me, don't try to find me because, I don't even know where I'm going, I just have to go. I'll come home when I'm ready. _

_When you said that you could never ever forgive me. I don't expect you to because I've beenlying to you for so long. Just know that I'm sorry I wasn't there for you both when you needed me. _

_But, I was there for her at least. _

_I love you Don, tell Dad I love him too. _

_Charlie._

_P.S. Tell everyone else that I'm sorry for leaving like this. Especially Colby, tell him I'm sorry I won't be seing him and the guys at the gym for a while._

Salty drops of water fell over thename Charlie written on the paper. Don stood frozen, the letter clutched inboth his trembling hands. More tears fell from his deep brown eyes as he stared in disbelief at the letter in his hands.

He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move, he think.

" Donnie, what is it, what's wrong?" Asked Alan urgently.

Numbly, Donhanded the letter over to his father and then continued to stare at the floor with tears now running freely down his face. A few minutes later, a strangle sob filled the room and Don turned to his father and saw the look of sheer horror, coupled with the tears of anguish in his eyes.

" D-Dad I..." Don tried to speak but his windpipe constricted painfully. Instead, with eyes blinded by hot, salty tears, Don stumbled to the sofa and collapsed onto it, burying his face in his hands as he cried, his sobs echoing throughthehouse.

" Oh God, Charlie. What have I done?" Sobbed Don as he felt his father'sarms encirle him in a embrace that brough him no comfort.

" No Donnie, What have we done to him? OhCharlie, my sweet boy." Sobbed Alan as he clung to his oldest son, who hugged him back and continued to sob violently against him.

Meanwhile, Charlie sighed as he paid the cab fair and watched the car disappear. Charlie adjusted the strap of his bag before he turned and headed into the airport.

He'd booked a flight to Texas and from there he didn't really know where he'd go from there.

He only knew, that he would go somewhere, anywhere but home.

Maybe when he found this place, he could conquer, the two halves of his soul, the man and the killer.

The End... For Now.

Gothraven89-Thank you all for reviewing, and don't worry, I won't leave you all hanging. The next storyin the Call of Duty saga will be delivered.

All in due time.


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